


Polished Stones

by AthenaScarlet



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Family, Alternate Universe - In Storybrooke | Cursed, Angst, Cursed Captain Hook | Killian Jones, F/M, Road Trips, Romance, Shaking Up the Family Tree, True Love's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-15
Updated: 2014-11-14
Packaged: 2018-02-17 12:36:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 26,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2309879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AthenaScarlet/pseuds/AthenaScarlet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a boy claiming to be his son knocks on the door, Killian Jones is forced to face a woman who broke his heart and a past he can't remember. But can he really be a man who can love again and help save a town in the process? Captain Swan AU with Cursed!Killian.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my new Cursed!Killian fic, which should end up being about 15 chapters. Just a bit of a head's up: I take some major liberties with the Jones family tree in this story. Don't worry if you get confused at first because it doesn't match up with the show. Just know that I decided to go way off-canon with Killian's genealogy. Big thanks to Rumsy for the beta! Hope you guys like it!

The sea wants to kiss the golden shore  
The sunlight warms your skin  
All the beauty that's been lost before  
Wants to find us again

I can't fight you anymore  
It's you I'm fighting for  
The sea throws rocks together  
But time leaves us polished stones  
\-- Ordinary Love, U2

He dropped his messenger bag on the floor as soon as he walked in the door and headed for the fridge. Another day, another dollar, another boatload of old people checking out nature in upstate New York. There were days when he hoped that perhaps this group of tourists would be supermodels from Manhattan. Those days were always disappointments.

Luckily, he had stocked the fridge up earlier in anticipation of the week that lie ahead. So with a Bud Light in one hand, his television remote in the other, and his ass firmly on the couch, he was ready to decompress. Five o'clock in the afternoon meant the Mets baseball game wouldn't be on for another two hours so basic channel surfing would have to suffice.

He could feel his gaze becoming unfocused, his beer heavy in his hand as he closed his eyes for just a few moments. Today had been a bit rough with the wind on the lake and more annoying questions than usual. If he could think about the sunrise this morning as he got the boat ready for the day, he could find some brief happiness before drifting off to ...

He awoke with a start to a knock at the door, barely saving his beer from an unfortunate death on his living room floor. He decided to just ignore it. Unfortunately, the incessant knocking came back and it was louder. Groaning, he pushed himself off the couch and dragged his tired ass to the door. Like most days, he was expecting to be alone after coming home from working for his brother. So it was pretty much a given that the person on the other side of the door was going to be quite unwelcomed.

He opened it to see a small boy standing in the doorway with a large backpack in tow, his brown hair disheveled with an innocent smile on his face. The two stared at each other in silence, the kid looking giddy with excitement and anticipation.

"What's up, lad?" he said, hoping the kid wouldn't have much to say before turning around to leave.

"Are you Killian Jones?" the kid asked eagerly.

“Aye, I am. Who are you?"

"You don't know me, but my name is Henry," the kid explained. "I'm your son."

Killian laughed. "Really? Did my brother put you up to this as some kind of joke?"

"It's real," the kid said nonchalantly. "Can I come in? I just got off a bus from Maine and I'm thirsty."

He didn't wait for Killian's answer, pushing his way through the door and into the apartment, nearly knocking the beer out of its owner's hand.

"Do you have any juice?" he asked, before finding the kitchen and opening the fridge without an invitation.

Killian just stared, mouth open, at the intruder in his apartment. This had to be a joke. He wasn’t really sure what was funny about the potential joke exactly -- perhaps Liam could shed some light on this later when confronted about it. Or maybe the kid got him mixed up with another Killian Jones somewhere. But this kid who was currently rummaging through his fridge couldn’t really be his son.

"Oi, lad, can you wait here for a minute?" Killian asked before quickly grabbing his phone without waiting for an answer.

"I found your juice!" the boy yelled back at him. "Do you have a glass or can I just drink it out of the carton?"

"Knock yourself out, lad!" he yelled as he quickly made his way to the bathroom for a little privacy. He immediately locked the door behind him and phoned his brother, but the bastard let the call go directly to voicemail.

"Brother, there is a kid standing in my kitchen drinking my orange juice and he says he's my son. I can't decide if this is a joke or not, but if you're playing me with this, I will bloody kill you! I hope you understand what 'bloody kill you' means!" He took a deep breath, lowering his voice again in hopes that the kid couldn’t hear him. "OK, I have to go. Call me later and if I don't answer, it’s probably because I'm taking some random eight-year-old kid to the bus station or something." He groaned, leaning his forehead on the cool tile of the bathroom wall. "Bloody kill you, mate! Call me."

Killian quickly pressed the "End call" button on his phone, took a deep breath and opened the bathroom door. He apprehensively walked down the hallway, hoping this was perhaps some strange vision and maybe he drank more than he thought he had. But no, the kid was still in his kitchen, leaning up against the counter with Killian's orange juice in his hand.

"You know, I could hear you from out here," he told Killian matter-of-factly.

"Oh really?" he replied, raising a doubting eyebrow at the kid.

"Yep," Henry replied. "And I promise that this isn't a joke that Liam is playing on you."

Killian gave him a questioning look. "How do you know my brother's name? I didn't tell you his name."

"It's in the book," the kid replied cheerfully.

"What book?"

Henry smiled at him. "Don't worry. I'll answer all of your questions on the car ride back to Maine."

"Maine?" Killian asked. "I'm not driving you back to Maine."

The boy just shrugged, taking his juice over to the couch and plopping down on the brown cushions. Killian just stared at the precocious kid while his mind went into overdrive. Who has he been with eight years ago? Maybe this kid’s mom was that waitress he dated in Albany or the one-night stand who was on his boat as part of some bachelorette party. Or maybe --

He quickly pushed the thought out of her out of his mind.

"Lad, you can't stay here. I'm sure whoever your parents are, they’re worried about you."

Henry shrugged. "Probably not," he said. "My adoptive mom is evil and my real mom doesn't believe me."

"Doesn't believe you about what?"

The kid gave him a big smile. "Don't worry, it's all in the book."

"Again with the book, lad?"

“It’s a good book!” Henry replied. "I'll tell you about it --”

“In the car ride,” they said in unison.

Killian rolled his eyes. Luckily, he hadn't had much of his beer so he was perfectly sober to drive. Of course, he still didn't believe the kid's story, but at least his night had become more exciting than sitting on the couch, pants kicked off in the corner, watching the Mets lose again. And besides, Liam had told him he needed a little more excitement in his life.

“Fine,” he said in resignation. "You ready to go, kid?"

“Really?” Henry jumped off the couch in excitement. "Totally!"

"Whoa, what are you doing?" Killian asked him incredulously, eliciting a confused stare from the boy. "Put the juice back in the fridge before we leave."

Henry gave him a huge smile and bounded into the kitchen while Killian headed for his bedroom. He quickly grabbed his gym bag from a corner and promptly dumped the smelly contents on the floor. He didn't know how long this road trip adventure of his was going to take so to be on the safe side, he threw in some clean clothes, sweatpants, underwear and socks. He also grabbed a nice button down shirt, thinking he may want to try and make a good second impression on Henry's mom -- or a first impression if he didn’t actually know who she was, which was more than likely.

Then Killian ducked into his bathroom to grab his toothbrush and hair gel. "Oi, lad!" he yelled. "Make sure you take a piss before we go. I'm not stopping until we get to wherever we’re going.”

"Storybrooke, Maine," Henry replied before closing the door to the bathroom.

“Right, that place,” he said, throwing his toiletries into his bag and zipping it up. He carried it to the front door where he left his keys and wallet and stuffed those in the bag as well. He pulled his phone out of his back pocket -- no messages from Liam -- and made sure to stuff it back in his pants so he wouldn’t forget it.

Henry came bouncing down the hallway soon after to pick up his backpack from the floor.

”Ready to go?"

"Yep!" the boy answered. "By the way, I should probably also tell you that you got my age wrong."

"Pardon?" Killian asked.

"When you were talking on the phone in the bathroom, I heard you get my age wrong," Henry said. "I'm actually 10."

Killian gave him a confused look before walking out and closing the door behind them. He stared at the door, trying to get his key in the lock while doing the math in his head. If the kid was 10 years old, that meant his mother was --

Killian almost dropped the keys as his mind flashed to her. He could see her adorable glasses framing her green eyes, her blonde hair spread across the back seat of the yellow Beetle they shared. Bloody hell.

"Hey, kid," Killian yelled. "What's your mum's name?"

Henry just looked out at the parking lot. "Which one is yours?" he asked.

He stared at the boy in disbelief as Henry aimlessly headed for the cars. Killian had only been in love once and vowed he would never do that again after Emma Swan left him without a word, shattering his heart into a million little pieces. And now here he was about to get in the car with a boy who believed he was her son.

Nope, scratch that, _their_ son. Bloody hell indeed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I said I was messing with the Jones family tree? Just checking. :)

Killian stood between the gas pump and his car, staring down at the boy sitting in the front seat with a brown leather-bound book spread open on his lap. Henry had seemed quite focused on one particular story for the past hour, complete with a large illustration of a ship with its sails unfurled. It had actually kept the kid quiet for a bit, which he found surprising after Henry yammered on for the first part of their road trip.

Between the talking and the driving, Killian had been distracted from dwelling on this whole crazy situation. But as he stared down at Henry, he couldn't really grasp how exactly he felt about all of this. The shock of having this kid who was apparently his son show up on his doorstep was still clouding his feelings, especially his feelings for Emma Swan. If -- if! -- she was this boy's mother, there were going to be issues that he didn't want to deal with. Killian had worked hard to finally move on from his relationship with Emma after she had just abandoned him without a word, but it hadn't been easy. And if he was being honest with himself, she was the reason he was still single and felt the need to run anytime he started to get serious with a woman.

The gas nozzle shut off with a loud snap, pulling Killian out of his thoughts. He topped off the tank and turned to replace it, then walked around and slid in to the driver's seat just in time to see Henry scratch lightly behind his ear. Killian recognized the nervous tick immediately since it was something he did himself.

"Ready to go, lad?" he asked, trying to be as casual as possible.

"Hm?" Henry answered, quickly looking up at him. "Oh, yea. Let's go."

He put the car in drive and headed back towards the interstate.

"So we're 10 miles from Maine and I'm still not sure where we're headed," he explained to the boy. For some reason, the GPS on his cell phone seemed to have really never heard of a town called Storybrooke in Maine, which didn’t surprise the young boy for some reason.

"Don't worry," Henry answered. "We don't have to get off the highway until Exit 12."

Killian nodded, taking a quick glance at the leather-bound book before moving his eyes to the road in front of them. "So are you finally going to tell me what that book has to do with me?" he asked. "I mean, I don't think I've ever met Snow White before."

"Well, you have met Snow White's daughter," Henry answered matter-of-factly.

"Pardon me?"

"My mom," he said. "She's the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. That makes her the product of true love, which is why she's the savior."

Killian gave the kid a confused look. "The savior of what?"

"So everyone in Storybrooke is cursed," he explained. "They're all the people in this book, but they don't remember who they are because of it."

"Because of a curse?" he asked incredulously.

"Yea!"

This time, it was Killian's turn to nervously scratch his ear. What the bloody hell had he gotten himself in to? He really hoped he could get this kid home without any problems. In fact, he was sticking to his belief in good form even more than usual, figuring it was best to just play along for now. Because seriously, fairy tales characters who were real people in the real world? That doesn’t happen. And Killian was pretty sure he would never be with a woman -- much less father a child with her -- if she had been raised by Snow White and Prince Charming.

And then he remembered something Henry had said back at the apartment. "Wait, lad. How did you know my brother's name?"

"Liam? Oh, he's in the book," Henry explained. "So are you actually."

Killian raised an eyebrow in the kid's direction. "Really?" he asked. "Why am I in a fairy tale book?"

Henry gave him a big smile. "Because you're Captain Hook's son!"

Killian almost ran the car off the road in shock before quickly recovering, hoping the boy hadn’t noticed. "You’re quite the cheeky lad, aren’t you?" he asked. "I thought you were being serious by your tone."

"I am being serious."

Killian took a deep breath as silence fell over the car. The news from Henry was worrisome, not because it was possible that Captain Hook was Killian's father -- obviously he wasn't -- but because the boy seemed to think it was true. Maybe it was just a kid thing or maybe it was more serious than that. Killian filed it away to mention to the kid's mother -- adoptive mother -- when he dropped him off at home.

"I can't figure something out though," Henry said. "How old are you?"

"I'm 33, lad."

"So you were five years old when the curse hit. How did you avoid getting caught in it?"

Killian smirked at him. "You mean your book there doesn't tell you?" he asked teasingly.

"No," Henry replied earnestly.

"Well, bad news, lad," he explained. "I don't remember anything before I was five years old so I can't help you."

"Why not?"

Killian looked to see Henry innocently staring at him and shrugged. “I just don’t.”

He turned to focus back on the road, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. He wasn’t totally lying to the kid. He was just keeping some details to himself. The full truth was that Emma was the second person to abandon him. But unlike her, his brain had been able to block out his father leaving them behind -- at least that's how the therapist explained the loss of memories for both Killian and Liam around the same year.

The green interstate sign thankfully loomed before them. "This is our exit," Killian said, happy for the distraction. ”Now what?"

Henry gave him directions for the next hour through the back roads of Maine, passing by small towns before they finally got to a sign that said "Welcome to Storybrooke" in large gold letters.

“Wait,” Henry said, a look of apprehension on his face. “Can you see that sign?”

“Aye,” Killian replied before checking his GPS once again to see nothing but a blank spot on the map.

“Just wanted to make sure.”

“Make sure of what?” Killian asked skeptically.

“I didn’t know if this would work exactly,” Henry said. “If you’re from the Enchanted Forest, you can see the town, but other people can’t.”

He nodded slightly towards the boy. “Sure, OK,” he replied quickly. Killian and his brother were both from London, not the Enchanted Forest or whatever, so the kid obviously was missing something.

Henry directed him for about a mile until they came to a small town. Driving down Main St., there was a diner and bakery, a hardware store and a library with a clock tower. Killian looked down one street and noticed they were near the water. He thought about checking the bay out the next day -- if he actually stayed until the next day.

Killian had been so wrapped up in Henry's directions that he had forgotten about the part with the mystery woman he had potentially fathered a child with. But anytime he did the math in his head during the car ride -- the kid is 10 years old plus nine months -- it always came back to Emma. He took a deep breath, trying to figure out what he would say -- or not say to her -- if he saw her again. He really hoped he could avoid the whole thing though. Forget the gym bag with the extra change of clothes in his trunk. The plan now was to just drop the lad off with his adoptive mother and get the hell out of town.

"My place is just on the right there," Henry said, pointing to a white house with pillars in the front.

Killian parked well past the front gate of the house behind some shrubs to block his car from the view of the large black front door. The fewer things Henry's adoptive mother would know about him the better. He climbed out of the car and began walking with Henry towards the house, which had a large apple tree in the front yard and a white picket fence.

"Oi, lad?" Killian asked the boy trailing behind him. "Is your mom some hot shot in town?"

"She's the mayor."

Bloody hell.

Henry led them up the walkway before pushing the door open. "Mom, I'm home!" he yelled.

Killian saw a dark-haired woman come running from the living room that opened into the foyer.

"Henry!" she yelled, wrapped her arms around the small boy. "You had me so worried!"

The woman held him tightly, her hand closing around the back of his head to snuggle him in closer. Killian tried to take in all the details of her features but quickly realized he didn't recognize her, figuring she was Henry’s adoptive mother -- at least that’s what he hoped.

She pulled him away from her, her hands still resting on his shoulders. "Where did you go? I thought we had an understanding after you ran away the last time."

Henry just smiled back at her. "It's OK. I only left to get him."

Both the child and his mother turned to stare at Killian, who wanted to simply slink out the door to minimize the uncomfortable feeling pulsing through him at that moment.

The woman stood up straight and stared at him. "I'm sorry, who are you?" she asked coldly.

"Killian, this is my mom, Regina," Henry interjected. "Mom, this is my dad, Killian."

Regina … Regina … He was pretty sure he had never met a woman with that name so he figured she wasn’t the woman he had slept with to get Henry. Still, he noticed what he thought was a flash of recognition from the woman before it quickly disappeared. "Regina Mills," she said, extending a hand for him to shake.

"Killian Jones," he replied, returning the gesture.

"Thank you for bringing Henry home so promptly," she said in a very business-like tone. "I'll be more than happy to compensate you for your trip from ..."

Killian cleared his throat. "Um, upstate New York, Ms. Mayor," he said, cringing at the salutation, which he knew sounded wrong.

”I hope he wasn't too much trouble."

"No, no, he wasn't any --"

He heard the front door burst open behind him and saw a flash of blonde hair pass by. Even after all these years, he easily recognized it as belonging to her.

“Is he here?” she asked, pushing past him to grab her son. "Henry, where were you? Regina and I were so worried about you."

"I went to get him!" Henry said, pointing a finger at Killian.

Now three sets of eyes were staring him down, but he was only paying attention to one of them. They were green and bright and still had a deep power over him even after all these years.

"Killian?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

He swallowed, trying hard to push down his emotions. "Emma," he said, nodding his head at her.

An uncomfortable silence fell in the foyer of the house as all of them tried to assess what was going on, most of all Killian and Emma. They hadn’t seen each other in a decade and now here they were in the same space with unresolved tension almost audibly crackling between them.

"What um ... What are you doing here?" Emma finally asked.

He nervously scratched behind his ear and took a deep breath. "The lad here --"

"I brought him!" Henry interrupted with an excited tone in his voice. "He can help break the curse!"

Killian was thankful that the kid had opened his mouth because all eyes had moved from him to the boy -- including his. Emma and Regina exchanged a glance as if acknowledging some sort of secret between them, but it was lost on Killian.

"I'm sorry, am I missing something here?" he asked, his eyes narrowing as he tried to assess what was going on.

Regina just waved a dismissive hand in the air. "You know how it can be with boys and their imagination."

"I'm not imagining anything!" Henry shouted.

"Henry," Emma said in a reassuring tone as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

But he just shrugged it off. "It's the truth! I had to get Killian so he can help you break the curse!"

Killian looked back at Emma, a puzzled look on his face. "I still don't understand."

Emma took a deep breath. "Henry thinks --"

"I don't think anything!" Henry yelled incredulously. "I know the truth! This town is cursed and you're our savior! The curse can only be broken when you kiss your true love, Mom. That's why I got him."

Killian felt a chill all the way to his bones. "You what?"

"You need to kiss my mom to break the curse because you're her true love."

Killian's eyes quickly snapped to Emma, who looked as shocked as he did. He could feel the blood draining from his face and his lungs tighten, barely allowing him to breathe. He took a few deep breaths to steady himself and looked back at the lad, who was staring expectantly at him with a smile on his face. The truth was going to crush Henry, but that didn't change the fact that it was still the truth.

"Henry, I'm nobody's true love," Killian said sadly. “And I'm especially not Emma Swan's."


	3. Chapter 3

The rain continued to pour down, soaking him to the bone. He had been waiting for hours for Emma to show up, but she was still lost to the world. At least their buyer was willing to pay for half of the watches they had stolen instead of just ditching the whole deal.

Killian checked his own crappy watch again -- it was after midnight -- and finally decided it was time to at least take some shelter. There was a 24-hour diner nearby and he could easily keep an eye on the alley if he sat at a table by the window.

He looked at his phone one more time to make sure he hadn’t made a mistake, thinking perhaps she didn’t get the three messages he left her yesterday. He checked his “Recent Calls” list just in case -- all three went through and all three were to her cell number. He hadn’t made a mistake so there was no way she didn’t get at least one of them. Despite that, he tried again with his call going straight to voicemail.

“Emma, it’s me. I hope you got my messages that our first buyer tipped off the cops. That's why the new drop was _tonight_. That's why I'm here _tonight_ wondering where you are.” He took a deep breath, trying to hide the desperation in his voice. “I’ll wait for you at the diner. Please call me.”

Once inside, his clothes began to dry off and he warmed himself with three cups of hot chocolate with whipped cream and cinnamon. It wasn’t a manly drink like coffee, but it was something that Emma got him hooked on and it was soothing tonight.

Midnight turned into 3 a.m. and then the sun began to rise, turning the last of the rain clouds pink in the early light. He hadn’t slept all night, staring at that alley, waiting for her. Instead, she had abandoned him. It wasn’t the first time Killian had to deal with being left behind, but it still stung, especially when it was someone he had truly fallen in love with.

He pulled the envelope of cash from the inside pocket of his black leather coat. She had taken their yellow Beetle with her so he couldn’t drive across the country, but there was enough for him to buy a train ticket to New York. It was about time he stopped running from one place to the next. It was time for him to take up his brother’s offer of a job and a home. After all, Liam was all he had left. He was also the only one who wouldn’t abandon him -- not like she did to him tonight.

He paid the bill and left for the train station, thankful that the rain had at least stopped. Before he started the walk, he took one last look at the alley, hoping to see some evidence she was there. But just like him, it was empty.

*** *** ***

Killian slammed the front door behind him as he walked quickly down the stairs and headed for his car. Then he heard the door open again and her voice call out.

“Jones!”

He had to keep moving. He couldn’t turn around. He couldn’t look at her.

“Jones, stop!”

“No!” he yelled back without turning around.

“Jones! Are you just going to abandon me like you did last time?”

Maybe he was going to stop after all.

Killian spun on his heel, his body full of rage and his voice full of anger. “Me? Abandon you?” he asked incredulously. “That’s pretty bloody ridiculous coming from you considering you were the one who abandoned me!” he yelled, pointing violently at his chest.

But Emma just rolled her eyes at him -- something he once found endearing but was currently finding infuriating. “What are you talking about?” she asked, folding her arms over her chest.

“I stood there for hours in the pouring rain waiting for you!” he yelled. “I sat at that stupid diner until the sun rose hoping I was wrong about you. But you left me, Swan! You couldn’t even have the courtesy to say goodbye!”

Emma just scoffed. “You’re thinking of someone else, Jones.”

“Am I?”

“Yes, you are!” she retorted. “It wasn’t raining the night I tried to sell those watches.”

Killian gave her a bitter look. “You have got to be bloody kidding me,” he said. “It was a Friday and it was raining and I was drenched waiting for you.”

“No,” Emma replied slowly. “It was a Thursday and it wasn’t raining.”

“Why were you there on Thursday? I called you and told you not to go that night because the cops were going to show up!”

And then it hit him like a sledgehammer to his chest as Emma stared at him, her face starting to take on a deep look of realization.

“Emma, did you get my messages?” She just continued to stare at him. “I left three messages on your phone! Did you get them?”

She blinked and took a deep breath. “The company turned my phone off because we couldn't pay the bill. We were going to use the money to fix that, remember?"

How could he have forgotten? How could he get so mad that she never showed without thinking about the simple fact that of course her phone didn’t work?

Killian staggered on his feet. “What happened to you?”

Emma gave him a sad smile and shrugged her shoulders. “The cops showed up.”

He started to back away from her, tripping over himself as if he had downed an entire bottle of rum. The ground became sand and his feet kept sinking into it with every step. He finally was able to focus on a white car parked on the street, which he quickly grabbed for before sitting down next to it.

Killian could feel her presence as she sat down next to him on the sidewalk and a silence fell over them as they both tried to process this new life-altering information. All this time, he had blamed her. All this time, he thought she had left him without a word. All this time, he had forgotten about the overdue bill that was the difference between holding on to her and having her disappear from his life.

It was finally Killian who was able to take in enough air to breathe and break the tension. “What happened after that, Swan?”

Emma scoffed. “They gave me probation,” she said quietly. “I guess the judge showed me some leniency because I was pregnant. But I didn’t have a job or … you know.”

Killian tried to push down the physical pain he was beginning to feel in his core. “You had no one,” he said sadly, swallowing down the sick feeling in his throat. “Is that why you put Henry up for adoption?”

Emma nodded quietly in response.

“So is he …”

“He’s your son.”

The pain became physically overwhelming. Killian rolled forward on to his knees, then crawled the five feet to the mayor’s hedge and puked.

He didn’t know how long he had been in that state, but his stomach finally began to feel better after throwing up the entire contents of his dinner at McDonald’s with Henry. He felt a comforting hand on his shoulder and her warm voice in his ear.

“Come sit back here and I’ll get you some water.”

He slowly made his way back to the white car and Emma grabbed a bottle of water from the back seat for him. He took a few sips, swishing it around in his mouth before spitting it into the gutter. Then he finally looked at what he had done with a clear head and let out a quiet laugh.

“Brilliant,” he said, a smirk on his face. “I haven’t even been here an hour and I’ve already made a lasting impression by throwing up in the mayor’s yard.”

Emma laughed quietly next to him. “Don’t worry, I’ve wanted to do that for awhile now,” she said, taking a breath to collect her thoughts. “So where did you drive here from?”

“Upstate New York.”

Emma hesitated before lowering her eyes. “Listen, it’s late and it’s a long drive back so why don’t you stay with me?”

Killian turned his head towards her and raised an eyebrow in her direction. “Really?” he asked sarcastically. “I don’t know if that’s the best idea.”

“No, I mean it,” she responded quickly. “I mean, you would have to take the couch and I have a roommate, but you need some rest.” She paused and he could tell she was trying to find the right words. “I think we have some things to talk about and it might be better after we both get some sleep.”

Killian swallowed, his head still spinning with all this strangeness that came to light in his short time in this small nowhere town in Maine. “Yea,” he said, taking another sip of water. The feeling in his legs began to return as he stood up before extending his hand to Emma. “I’ll follow you?”

“Sure,” she said, taking his hand as he helped her off the sidewalk. “Which car is yours?”

“I’m just up here,” he said, pointing to the old black Volkswagen Beetle he bought a few years ago and fixed up with his brother.

“Really?” she replied.

“I liked the car,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “Is yours any better?”

Her hand gestured towards the white car he had been leaning against, which he now realized had the word “Sheriff” emblazoned on it in capital gold letters.

“You have got to be kidding me, Swan,” he said, rolling his head back to stare up at the sky.

“If you can’t beat ‘em and all that,” she said, giving him a half-hearted smile. “Let me just tell Henry and Regina that we’re leaving.”

He took a drink of water and dug his keys out of the pocket of his jeans. “Just don’t tell the mayor about that whole … you know.”

She nodded and he watched her walk back to the house, her blonde hair catching the night breeze. Then he climbed into his car, hoping a few moments alone would help him sort out what he felt right now. It didn’t.


	4. Chapter 4

The streets of Storybrooke were quiet and quaint as Killian followed Emma back to her apartment. Unfortunately, the noise in his head was loud and confusing. He had been so mad at Emma for all these years and it turned out to be simply because of a misunderstanding. And what's worse is it cost Emma probation and an adoption, and him a decade without her and their son.

She pulled into a parking spot by a building a few blocks off the main street and he took an empty space next to her. Climbing out, he folded his seat to grab his bag from the back.

He walked toward Emma, pausing by a yellow Beetle that looked similar to his black one, and let out a small laugh. "Do you remember that piece of shite we stole that looked like that?" he asked her.

"That is the piece of 'shite' we stole."

Killian stared at it, checking the bumper for the dent he put in it after accidentally backing into a parking meter. It was still there. He couldn't help but smile.

"We had some good times in that car, Swan," he said. “How were you able to hold on to it after they arrested you?”

She smiled weakly. “It’s complicated. Let’s just say the prosecution showed some mercy on me,” she explained, before turning towards the building they had pulled up to. "Come on, we're this way."

Killian threw his bag over his shoulder before following Emma in a door from the parking lot and up several flights of stairs to a rustic looking apartment door. She slipped her key in the lock, jiggling it a few times before it finally gave way.

He had barely stepped foot in the door when a woman he assumed was Emma's roommate came running towards them.

"Did you find Henry?" she asked, a concerned look on her face.

"Um, yea. He turned up at Regina's."

"Oh good! I was so worried!" the woman replied before her eyes wandered to Killian and gave him a once-over. "I don't think we've met before," she said hesitantly.

"Mary Margaret, this is Killian. Killian, Mary Margaret," Emma explained. "He's going to stay with us tonight if that's OK."

"Oh, sure," Mary Margaret replied. "Did you help get Henry home?"

"Um, sort of," Killian said, scratching his ear nervously as he continued to stand uncomfortable in this unfamiliar apartment.

"He’s kind of the reason Henry ran away in the first place," Emma said. Mary Margaret gave her two companions a quizzical look. "Killian is Henry's father."

"Oh," Mary Margaret said casually before the reality of the words sank in. "Oh! Oh, you're ... um ... well, welcome?"

Killian started fidgeting as he tried to avoid the judgmental look from Emma's roommate.

"It's OK," Emma said, breaking the tension. "We're friends or something. Sort of."

_That wasn't very reassuring either,_ Killian thought, wondering if it really was a good idea to take up Emma's offer to stay here after all.

"OK, let me leave you two alone and get you some blankets for the couch," Mary Margaret stammered before she deliberately left to occupy herself and give the two of them some privacy.

Emma motioned with her hand for Killian to enter and told him where to put his bag. She pointed out the couch and the bathroom and the kitchen -- "Help yourself to whatever you find in the cupboards,” -- without him able to really take any of it in. It would be a couch for the night. Killian couldn’t think much past that with everything else going on.

Mary Margaret came back with a few warm blankets before quickly retreating to a loft area above the main living space with only a slight “Good night,” to her companions.

"You need a pillow too, don't you?" Emma asked.

"I'll be fine with the couch cushion," Killian replied. "Really, it's all good."

He sat down and took off his shoes and socks before placing them out of the way. Then she came over and sat down on the other end of the couch, a quiet tension falling over them. There was so much he wanted to ask, so much he wanted to say.

He scoffed quietly. "I don't even know where to begin with you, Emma. With us."

"Me too," she replied. "Maybe tomorrow?"

Killian nodded before looking down, his hand nervously finding a random dirty spot on his jeans to pick at.

"Mary Margaret and I both have work tomorrow so sleep as late as you want. I can just leave you a key in the morning."

"Thank you," he replied.

"And then maybe we could find some time to talk?"

"I would like that."

Emma nodded and gave him a tight smile, then pushed herself off the couch and headed for the loft area her roommate had retreated to.

"Emma?"

She turned, her hair cascading over her shoulders. His mind went blank for a moment before he was able to recover his voice.

"I just ..." He swallowed. "I'm sorry, Emma."

She gave him a sad smile. "I think we both have some apologizing to do."

"Yea, I guess so," he replied sadly.

"Tomorrow," Emma said.

"Tomorrow."

Emma gave him a tight smile. "Good night, Jones," she said quietly.

"Night, Swan."


	5. Chapter 5

He woke up early the next morning to the smell of fresh coffee as sunlight filtered in through lace curtains on the windows nearby. This definitely wasn’t his apartment.

Killian sat up, trying to remember the crazy events of the evening before. He had driven from his apartment to some random town called Storybrooke with his son and slept on Emma Swan’s couch. _Yea, none of that sounds weird,_ he thought sarcastically.

He surveyed his surroundings since he didn’t have a chance to really check out the place last night. The apartment’s interior designer definitely had a feminine touch -- he suspected Emma wasn’t responsible for the decorating. The room was open with his floral couch along with a table and chairs, a bathroom and a kitchen with a beautiful blonde standing in it.

“Morning,” Emma said, looking at him over her shoulder as she poured herself a cup of coffee. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”

Killian shook his head. “No, I usually am up early with my job.”

“Coffee?”

He stood up and nodded, walking over to a stool by the counter. She put a clean mug down in front of him -- it had roses printed all over it, but he wasn’t going to complain -- and poured some coffee into before setting the pot back on the counter.

“You know, I don’t think we covered that subject last night,” she said. “What exactly do you do when you aren’t driving our runaway son home?”

“I drive a boat for my brother,” he said.

“A boat?”

“Yea. We mainly cater to tourists who come to Lake Champlain for sightseeing, but I also get stuck with the occasional bachelorette party or booze cruise at night.”

Emma raised her eyebrows at him. “I’m impressed,” she said sincerely. “I remember you always talking about getting your own boat someday.”

“Well, it belongs to my brother really, but it beats fencing stolen goods I guess.” He immediately wished he could take back the words that had come out of his mouth. “I’m so sorry, Swan,” he said, dropping his head into his hand.

But Emma just gave him a quiet laugh. “It’s OK,” she said soothingly before taking a breath to break the awkwardness in the room. “Besides, I’ve been on my share of booze cruises. I’d rather forget them.”

“Really?”

“You’d be amazed at how many people skip out on their bail bond and then don’t think about the fact that they don’t want to jump overboard from a boat in the middle of Boston Harbor.”

Killian gave her a quizzical look. “Do tell.”

“I have to go to work,” she said, dodging his inquiry. “How about we talk over dinner tonight? Mary Margaret is going on a date or whatever so I can bring some food back here.”

“I’d like that,” Killian said, giving her a genuine smile of encouragement. “It would be nice to just … talk.”

Emma nodded. “Then it’s settled,” she said. “The key is on the table and there are mugs up here for coffee. And I think Mary Margaret left some towels for you, but let me check.”

“It’s OK,” he said, raising his hand in protest. “I can find my way around.”

Emma picked up her badge off the kitchen counter and attached it to her belt before grabbing her travel mug. “Do you need anything else before I go?”

“Um … yea, actually,” he said. “Henry said there were docks around here?”

“Just down the street on your left,” she said. “Any particular reason?”

Killian scoffed. “Yea, I just …” How we he explain this to her without making her think he was stupid. “So … um … you know what? I’ll save it for later.”

Emma stared at him and started walking towards the door. “Alright,” she said. “Once again, the great Killian Jones is acting dark and mysterious.”

“When was the last time I acted dark and mysterious?” he asked, twisting on his stool at the counter to follow her movement through the room.

“It took quite a long time for me to figure you out, Jones,” she explained. “And I’m still not sure I have.”

Killian looked up to see Emma staring at him, a mix of curiosity and stubbornness in her eyes. He gave her a tight-lipped smile. “And yet you still try, don’t you?” he asked.

“Can’t blame a girl for trying,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.

“No, you can’t,” he said quietly. “Perhaps tonight over dinner?”

Emma laughed at him. “I think it’s going to take more than just dinner, Jones,” she replied sarcastically before opening the door to head out. “By the way, I left my cell number on the counter there as well. You know, in case you need anything.”

“You want to trust me with your cell number?” Killian asked, raising an eyebrow in her direction. “Even after the watch thing?”

“Not the smartest plan, I know, but it’s good for now,” she said wistfully before tossing her blonde hair over her in shoulder with a move that made Killian feel some strange warmth towards her.

He smiled and politely nodded. “I’ll talk to you later, Swan.”

She gave him a reassuring nod in return and headed out the door.

Killian drank his coffee while taking stock of the place. It definitely didn’t seem like Emma’s style. The place was feminine with pastel colors everywhere and a flowery scent coming from a bowl of dried up leaves on the counter near him.

But then as he looked around some more, he would see little bits here or there that were touches from Emma. An extra red cropped leather jacket by the door. A pair of dark jeans thrown into a corner. A black mug with the seal of the Storybrooke sheriff on it. He figured maybe Emma had just moved into her roommate’s apartment out of necessity and not because they had combined their styles when they moved in together.

Killian put his mug in the sink, making sure to wash the extra coffee out first. It seemed like the right thing to do in such a pristine-looking kitchen. Then he headed for the bathroom, quickly finding some clean towels on a shelf in the corner -- even those smelled like flowers.

After taking a shower, he quickly got dressed, brushed his teeth and put a little gel in his hair. Then he took a breath and finally picked up his phone. He had been dreading the thing since last night but figured it was time to face whatever was on there. A little icon indicated that there was a voice mail waiting for him. It was from Liam.

“Brother, I hope you’re OK. I swear, whatever happened to you last night wasn’t a joke from me. So just … call me when you get this to give me an update on that whole situation. We have a small group today so don’t worry about me. I can handle the trip myself. Just call, Killian.”

He saved the message, then shoved the phone and Emma’s key into his pocket. He needed some fresh air and figured it would be best to take a walk down to the docks. For some reason, Killian felt more comfortable with the idea of calling his brother from the water than from the confines of some dainty apartment. At least he could still try and find some warmth by the water because to say his current situation was outside his comfort zone would be an understatement.


	6. Chapter 6

“I thought I would find you here.”

Killian’s head jerked up in surprise. Apparently, he had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t even noticed Emma was walking towards him until she was actually sitting on the bench next to him.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” she said, nervously tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

Killian gave her a reassuring smile -- “It’s OK.” -- and turned back to stare at a fisherman on the dock. He was tall and tanned, likely a result of spending day after day on the deck of a fishing vessel. But on this particular day he was in port, taking lobster traps off his boat to get them ready for the next outing and patching spots in his nets that were unraveling. Killian had watched him earlier actually get in the water to scrub the algae off the side of his boat.

It all felt a little strange for him because it felt so familiar. It was like deja vu -- as if he had seen this man do these things before. He just couldn’t remember where. Of course, that could all be explained by Henry’s theory, but there was no way the lad could be right about a curse.

“Jones?” Emma asked.

“Oh, sorry,” he replied. “I got lost in my thoughts.”

Emma gave him a strange sideways glance. “Are you alright?”

“Yea, yea, I’m fine,” Killian said, trying to reassure her as well as himself. “Um, do you know who that guy is? The fisherman down there with the prosthetic hand?”

Emma turned towards the dock and did this little squint thing that Killian always found so endearing. “Eddie Morgan,” she said. “You can tell what he was fishing for on a given day based on the special at this seafood restaurant on Main St.”

Killian smiled at her. “Really?”

“Yea. I had lobster there last week when Mary Margaret and I went out on a girls’ night. Little butter, baked potato, a bottle of wine.”

“A bottle of wine?” he asked. “Between the two of you?”

Emma laughed at him. “It was a Friday night! That makes it totally acceptable.”

“It does?”

She smiled before starting to fidget with her hands in her lap. “I’ll take you there sometime,” she said quietly. “You would like it.”

He looked at her with a small but genuine smile. “Perhaps I would.”

Killian took a deep breath, trying to control himself. He wanted so much to just touch her hands and tell her how much he wished they could start over. But of course, it was easier said than done. For them, starting over would take much more than holding hands on a park bench. There was just too much that had happened, for better or worse, in their decade apart.

Emma cleared her throat to break the uncomfortable silence that was falling between them. “So, what’s with your interest in Eddie?”

Now it was Killian’s turn to fidget and try to deflect. “I’m just sizing up the competition,” he said sarcastically.

Emma gave him an inquisitive look. “You’re lying.”

This woman and her lie detection abilities helped them out of many tight spots before, but it was always better when it was directed at someone else. “You know, I never liked when you were able to turn that power of yours on me.”

“And now you’re avoiding the question.”

“Bloody hell, Swan!” he said flippantly, eliciting a laugh from his park bench companion.

“Spill it, Jones!” she said teasingly.

Killian gave her a smile, but when he turned to look at her, he couldn’t help but feel it fall off his face. Here was Emma. She was Henry’s mother. She would understand, right? She probably had similar thoughts about their son and his book of fairy tales. Maybe?

Of course, asking about the curse would bring up other issues about his love for her, but that conversation was not one he wanted to have less than 24 hours after seeing her in a decade and finding out they had a son.

“It’s just …” He didn’t know where to begin or how to explain all of this to her because he was having trouble understanding it himself. He looked back over at Eddie baiting the lobster traps on the dock, too afraid to see Emma’s face. “Do you think Henry is telling the truth about the curse? I mean, do you believe it could be real?”

He turned to see Emma giving him a surprised look. “I think our son is going through a weird time right now and has found some comfort in fairy tales. You know, kids and their imagination.”

“Yea,” he replied, a small scoff falling from his lips.

“Do you believe him?” she asked.

If Killian was being honest, he wanted so desperately to have the lad be right. Emma would be his true love and he would have his son and his father and everything would be good. He would be happy. But he was hanging his happiness on a 10-year-old kid he met yesterday and a crazy idea.

"You do believe him, don’t you?" Emma asked bluntly.

"I don't know. It would be kind of brilliant, you know?" He took a deep breath, hoping that he wouldn’t sound as crazy as the kid. “I mean, Henry thinks my father is Captain Hook.”

He could hear Emma begin to laugh next to him. “Captain Hook?” she said with amusement her voice. “He wasn’t even a fairy tale character!” She shrugged and tucked her hair behind her ear again. “So he thinks you’re the son of a pirate who enjoyed stealing? Well, I guess like father, like son.”

“I guess,” he replied, not meaning to have his answer sound so serious. “It's just a crazy idea from a kid. But I’ve been sitting here watching people walk around all day and then I spotted that guy,” he said, pointing to Eddie the fisherman. He took a deep breath as he continued to stare at the dock and the man standing there. “He’ll do this thing and then this doubt will creep into my mind. Like earlier, he turned around quickly and for a second, I thought he looked a little like Liam. Or I’ll see him look up and think his eyes look like mine.” Killian scratched behind his ear nervously. “And he did that too!”

“What?”

“Scratched his ear like I do!” Killian took a breath to compose himself. “You know how it is, Swan. When you grow up after being abandoned, you still have those moments when you let yourself hope.”

Emma put her hand on his arm and gave it a squeeze. "I know," she said quietly, taking a deep breath. "But that doesn't mean your father is Captain Hook," she added teasingly.

He smiled, enjoying the mocking tone she was taking with him. It was definitely better than what he expected from her at this point given all that had transpired in the past 24 hours. It felt so normal and natural, as if they were falling back into who they were a decade ago. It was just too bad they couldn’t be those people again.

“So listen,” she said, pulling her hand away from his arm. “Henry gets out of school at three o’clock and I’m meeting him there. We were going to get some ice cream before he has to head back to Regina’s for the night. Uh…” He could tell Emma was trying to choose her next words carefully before they came rushing out of her mouth in one quick sentence. “Would you like to come with us?”

He tried to steady his breathing, his heart simultaneously breaking for what they could’ve had and swelling with the idea that they could be together -- if only for a brief moment on an early September afternoon. “I would like that,” he replied, a tight but hopeful smile teasing at his lips.

“Good,” she said, matching her smile with his. “It’ll be good.” He nodded and watched as she stood up and stared back down at him. “Just be careful out here, OK?”

“I will,” he replied earnestly.

“I’m serious,” she chided. “I don’t want to have to fill out all that paperwork when Eddie files a restraining order against the stranger in town who keeps staring at him.”

“I’ll keep my distance, Swan.”

“And promise me you won’t get your heart broken when you find out Captain Hook isn’t your dad.”

“Only if you promise to bring me an eye patch and a peg leg for comfort.”

She gave him a skeptical look. “Captain Hook had neither of those,” she said, turning to walk back to her sheriff’s cruiser. “And I’m not getting you a hook for your hand!” she yelled over her shoulder.

“I’ll see you at three!” he yelled back at her. “You better have my eye patch!”

He could hear her laugh as she walked away and watched her climb into her car, giving her a polite wave before she closed the door.

Then he turned back to stare at the fisherman on the dock some more. If he just stayed here, practically out of the way on the bench, the fisherman would have no idea that Killian was continuing to stare at him for just a brief glance, a brief hope that perhaps his father hadn’t really abandoned him. Perhaps he just forgot who he truly was and had never intended to leave Killian and his brother alone.

Or perhaps Emma was right and he was going to get his heart broken pinning his hopes on a curse and some random fisherman in Maine.


	7. Chapter 7

Killian angrily shoved his clothes into the gym bag sitting on Emma’s couch. He had been in this stupid town for too long and wasted too much time instead of being back at home with his boat and a beer and baseball.

He had especially wasted too much time staring at the people in this stupid town today. First, it was that fisherman that Henry had somehow convinced him was his father. And oh by the way, that fisherman was also Captain Hook and he just didn’t remember who he was because the Evil Queen had cursed the entire town.

But after that, Killian had spent too much time staring at Emma and Henry. He went over to Henry’s school like he had promised Emma he would. In fact, he got there a bit early just so he wouldn’t miss them.

He caught a glimpse of them by the front entrance to the red brick school and he just … he couldn’t go over there. He watched how happy Henry was to see his mother, and he watched Emma’s warm hug in response to their son walking down the school’s front stairs to her. It was domestic and sweet and warm and everything he would’ve wanted in a family.

He wanted to go to them. He wanted to walk right up and give Henry a hug and ask how his day was. He wanted to walk to the ice cream shop with an arm around his boy and his hand holding tight to Emma’s. But the pain of knowing that he lost all of this, that one missed phone call messed all of this up for him, that pain rooted him to the concrete sidewalk. He couldn’t leave that spot even if he wanted to because his heart had anchored him to that one place.

Killian watched them wait for him. He watched Emma try and call him, his phone ringing in his pocket, but he couldn’t answer it. Then he watched them walk away without him.

He finally moved, realizing he had been there for an hour, staring at that spot by the front doors of the school. He had lost precious time but if he was quick enough, he could duck out of town before seeing Emma again. He could get home and sort himself out and maybe call her in a week or so, explaining what happened and what was wrong with his head. Of course, Emma would be mad at him and more than likely furious, but he could face that later. He could just run and worry about it all later.

But he had run from Emma before. The last time he had left her behind, he didn’t look back, didn’t think rationally, didn’t even check to make sure Emma wasn’t picked up by the cops.

Killian slumped down onto the sofa in her apartment, staring at the shirt in his hands. This was all so overwhelming and he had made it even worse. And now here he was trying to figure out what to do next. He realized he needed to swallow his pride and at least call her to apologize. Maybe he could even salvage their dinner plans. He picked up his phone and found her number -- the number he had saved this morning after she gave it to him “in case you need anything,” she had explained.

He heard Emma’s phone ringing on the other side of the apartment’s front door just as her key slid into the lock. His eyes immediately made contact with hers as she walked in, surprised to see him sitting on her couch.

“Was that you calling me?” she asked, putting a white plastic bag down on the table.

“Um, yea,” he said, pulling the phone away from his ear and placing it back in his pocket.

“I thought you would’ve left town already or something,” she said disapprovingly.

“I thought I would’ve too.”

She stared at him and he had to look away, staring at his hands in shame. Emma let out a loud sigh and began to pull two take-out boxes from the bag she had set on the table. “Well, if you’re still here, we might as well try to have dinner before you go.”

He gave her a surprised look. “You bought me dinner?”

“It’s a tuna salad sandwich with fries,” she replied coldly. “I know it’s not your favorite, but I like it so I figured if you were here, we could eat and if you weren’t, I would have some good leftovers.”

Killian gave her a weak nod in thanks considering he should at least be grateful she brought him anything. After what he had done, it was a pleasant surprise compared to how she could’ve reacted. But as Killian walked towards the table, Emma moved to block him, her hand pressing against his chest. She definitely wasn't about to let go just yet.

"We need to talk first about what you did today."  
He took a step back from Emma, his eyes quickly looking away from her. “Aye, the school thing.”

“Yea, the school thing,” she repeated. “You want to explain that one to me?”

Killian took a deep breath. “I was there. I saw you and Henry.”

“Ah, so you decided to use your stalking skills on us then. Did you get bored with the guy at the docks?”

“It’s not like that, Swan,” he responded quietly.

“So what is it like then, Jones?” she asked, her voice dripping with bitterness. “Tell me what it’s like.”

“You and Henry, you looked … happy,” he replied.

Emma sighed. “He looked happy because he thought you were coming to see him.”

“Yea, the man who found out yesterday that he was the boy’s father,” Killian replied sadly. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “I just … this whole thing hasn’t been easy for me, OK? It hasn’t been easy to just have my whole life change like this in a day.”

Emma stared sternly at him. “Do you think this is easy for me?” she asked incredulously, her voice getting louder with rage. “If it weren’t for Henry, I wouldn’t even be here! I should be in Boston!”

“You should be with me!” Killian yelled.

Emma’s eyes widened at his revelation, which had even surprised him. He hadn’t admitted it to himself. He hadn’t even wanted to express it or give it meaning. But what he felt -- it had been bubbling in his chest since the night before when he saw her again after all those years.

Killian took a deep breath to steady his racing heart and dropped himself on the couch, putting his elbows on his knees and leaning over to stare at his feet. He heard Emma’s footsteps tread slowly on the wood floor before she sat down next to him, a small sigh escaping her lips. She didn’t say a word, but he could feel her eyes staring at him as the two of them sat there in silence.

“You should’ve been with me,” Killian finally said. “And Henry should’ve been with me.” He turned his head to finally look at her. “I know our life at the time wasn’t ideal, especially if we threw a kid into the mix, but I would’ve found a way to be a good father and a good partner. I would’ve done that for you and Henry.”

“I know that now," Emma said quietly.

Killian gave her a weak smile, swallowing to control the emotions he could feel swelling in his chest. “We could’ve been a great family, Swan.”

He watched Emma duck her head before tucking her blonde curls behind her ear. He wanted so much to reach out and touch her, to run his fingers through her hair like he used to, but figured it was better to take some time with all of this and not rush back towards the blinding light that was Emma Swan.

She dropped her hands into her lap and rubbed the palms on her thighs. “I think we both need some time -- and maybe some space -- to process all of this, don’t you?”

“Yea,” Killian replied quietly. "I think that would be best. But maybe I could wait until tomorrow to leave?"

"Sure, yea."

"I'll come back for you this time, Swan," he insisted. "I promise you that."

Emma gave him a sad smile. "I know.”

He could tell from her tone, from the simple way she gave her simple answer, that she actually believed him. She did trust him. It was more than Killian could've hoped for after the events earlier at Henry's school, and he was thankful for that.

“So," she said, trying to lighten the mood. "You still hungry?”

Killian nodded and gave her an encouraging smile.

They both stood and he was about to start walking back, but Emma didn’t move. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close to her. He instantly responded, snaking his hands around her waist and burying his head in her shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, Emma.”

“Me too.”

She pulled away from him but stayed near, her face near his as her hands slid down to rest on his chest. She smelled so delicious and her eyelashes fluttered so close to him. It would be the simplest of moves to just lean down and kiss her and feel her lips on his again after all these years.

But instead, she gave him a nervous smile and gently pushed away from him, a hint of sadness flashing in her eyes. Perhaps it was for the best, he thought as he watched her put distance between them. After all, neither of them had really been able to process all that had happened in just a day.

“C’mon,” she said, nodding her head towards the kitchen before walking back to the table with him following right behind.

He let his hand slip to the small of her back as she passed him, his fingers barely brushing the fabric of her shirt. He wondered if she could even tell. But then she fumbled a bit with her chair as she tried to pull it away from the table to sit. Yea, she could tell.

Killian sat down across from her and opened his take-out box. It actually looked really good, especially considering he only tolerated tuna salad when he was trying to get out of his turkey sandwich ruts.

“No pickle?" he asked. "Nice.”

“I remembered you don’t like them next to your food.”

“Seriously, it just makes the sandwich all …”

“Soggy with pickle juice,” Emma replied, finishing his sentence.

“Yea,” he said, remembering how he always complained to her about it and how she always made sure to have them hold the pickles whenever she bought food for them. “Thank you, Swan. Really,” he said quietly, looking up to give her a sincere smile that was returned in kind.

A quiet tension began to settle on them, one that was only broken by a question that had been nagging Killian since he arrived.

"Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” he said. “Do you know how Henry found me?"

“Probably the same way he found me," she replied. "But I'm not really sure how exactly he found me either."

"So how did you get here?" he asked inquisitively.

"My story is pretty much the same as yours. Henry somehow got to Boston where he found me. He talked me into bringing him here and ..." She shrugged. "I just haven't left."

Killian smiled at her. "I'm glad you stayed," he said. "Maybe you do belong here after all."

Emma looked down and started poking at her food. "Maybe I do," she said quietly.

"Maybe I do, too."

She looked up at him and they smiled at each other as a way of showing their understanding of each other in that moment. He didn't know exactly how he would even fit Storybrooke into his life, but Killian knew he would find a way -- at least for Emma and Henry.

They began eating again and the conversation became infinitely easier than before. He asked her about her sheriff’s duties, once again showing his surprise that a woman who used to steal things with him had somehow become in charge of an entire town’s security.

"It was totally by accident," she tried to insist. "The town voted to have me be the sheriff."

Killian gave her a devilish look. "So they don't know about your sordid past I take it," he said, raising an eyebrow in her direction.

"Not as long as you keep your mouth shut, Jones!" she replied, a teasing smile breaking out on her face.

After that, she listened to his stories about boating with his brother and a bunch of tourists.

“The bachelorette parties are the best!” he explained between bites of his fries. “All these women get drunk and want me to help them reenact that scene from Titanic on the bow of the ship.”

Emma let out a loud laugh. “Really?” she asked. “So you’re the Leonardo DiCaprio of Lake Champlain?”

Killian gave her a mocking glare. “It doesn’t sound as cool when you describe it like that.”

“Eh, I’m sure you easily pick up your share of women that way,” she replied teasingly.

Killian just looked down at his food and poked at his pile of fries. “I uh … I really haven’t had anything serious since you,” he explained. “I mean, I’ve had relationships and whatever, but I just …” He shook his head, trying to distract himself with the color of the styrofoam container in front of him.

He heard Emma shift in her seat uncomfortably. “I haven’t either,” she admitted.

He scoffed at her confession. “I really messed things up, didn’t I?” he asked. “All because I didn’t remember that we hadn’t paid your phone bill.”

“It doesn’t mean we can’t try to fix it,” she said.

He looked up to see her smiling sadly at him. Killian reached out his hand across the table to grab hers. “I would like that,” he said, rubbing his thumb across her warm, smooth skin.

They stayed like that for just a second, just long enough to give Killian some sort of peace for the first time since Henry had knocked on his door. But then Emma nervously withdrew her hand, grabbing her empty food box in front of her.

“Well, we should probably get some sleep,” she said, standing up with her box. “Especially since you have to drive home tomorrow.”

“Right, yea,” he said, following her lead and heading to the kitchen to throw out their trash.

They both moved around the room cleaning up after dinner while making a point to not get too close to each other for fear of stirring up emotions that neither of them wanted to deal with. Then Emma quietly grabbed the blanket for Killian and gave it to him, their hands briefly touching before she once again pulled away. He gave her a tight smile and a quick “Thank you,” then turned to make up his spot on the couch for one more night.

“I’m going to head up,” Emma said, turning towards the stairs leading to her loft. She took another glance at him over her shoulder. “I’m glad we got to talk tonight,” she said earnestly.

“Me too,” Killian quietly replied.


	8. Chapter 8

Killian was folding up his blankets when Emma came down that morning in baggy sweatpants and a t-shirt. 

“Good morning.”

“Hey,” he replied, ducking his head as he finished with the sheets.

“You weren’t planning to leave without saying goodbye, were you?” she asked.

“I was hoping I could get out of here before you gave me a bill for staying on your couch,” he replied teasingly.

Emma smiled and walked over to the kitchen to make some coffee. He watched her stop and stare at the pot as she noticed the smell of warm, fresh caffeine filling the apartment.

“Oh, yea,” Killian said. “I made coffee already. I hope that’s OK.”

She looked over and smiled at him. “That’s definitely fine,” she said. “Did you have any yet?”

“No, I was waiting for you.”

Emma’s smile grew as she pulled out two mugs from the cupboard -- both basic black ones without flowers -- and filled them. Killian grabbed one and took up his spot on the stool at the counter again.

“You know, your roommate didn’t come home from her date last night.”

Emma gave him a surprised look and started drinking. “Guess it was a good date.”

Killian smiled and the two of them took a few sips in silence.

“Oh, that tastes so good,” Emma said. “You can stay as often as you want if you make fresh coffee like this.”

He ducked his head and took another sip, feeling a warmth in his chest that was unrelated to the coffee. “So does that mean I’m allowed to come visit again?” he asked hopefully.

“Maybe,” she said. “I mean, you are coming back to see Henry at some point, aren’t you?”

“Oh, definitely!” he said. “I really do want to be in his life now -- I mean, if that’s OK with you.”

Emma set her coffee mug down on the counter, her fingers playing with the handle. “I would like that for Henry -- and for you,” she said. “For us, really.”

“Me too,” he admitted. “And I would like us to at least be friends for Henry’s sake.”

She looked up at him and gave him a genuine smile. “We are friends,” she said. “At least, I hope we’re going to get there.”

Killian gave her a nervous smile and took another sip of coffee. The two of them silently stayed like that for a moment before Killian looked up at her, his nervousness reflected in her eyes as well. Perhaps they could be more than friends again. Perhaps there were old feelings that could be rekindled. Perhaps the anger and resentment they had each been carrying for so long could, in fact, be swept away and replaced with … something better.

“Emma, I --”

The door to the apartment opened and they quickly jumped as if they were teenagers in love who had been sharing a secret before being caught by her mother. Mary Margaret pulled the key from the lock in the door and looked up to see the two of them staring at her.

“Good morning,” she said quietly.

“Morning,” Killian mumbled, pretending to mind his own business by turning back and staring uncomfortably at his coffee mug.

“Hey,” Emma said tentatively, looking at her roommate. “Good night?”

Mary Margaret looked startled by the question and seemed to be thinking very hard about what her answer was going to be. “Um, yea,” seemed to be all she could come up with as she put her purse down next to the door.

“Killian made coffee,” Emma said.

“Oh, good,” she said without making eye contact with them as she poured herself a cup. “So are you headed home, Killian?” Mary Margaret asked, trying to quickly divert attention away from herself.

“Um, yea. For now.”

Mary Margaret took a sip from her mug, the tension leaving her face as she swallowed it down. “Thank you for the coffee,” she said to him. “You are definitely welcome back anytime.” She seemed to have realized what she had implied and quickly turned to Emma for some kind of guidance. “I mean, if you want to? It would have to be up to Emma I guess.”

“It’s fine,” she replied. “It’s -- we’re good.”

Emma looked at him and gave him a reassuring smile, which he quickly reciprocated.

“Good,” Mary Margaret said. “So um … I have to get ready for school, but have a good trip.”

Emma and Killian watched as Mary Margaret walked hastily away from them, coffee cup in hand. When she closed the bathroom door behind her, the two of them immediately turned to each other. Killian raised a questioning eyebrow in Emma’s direction, which she returned with a smirk of her own.

“I’m not even going to ask,” she said.

“Alright then,” he replied, shifting at the counter as he took another drink of coffee.

Emma let out a slight laugh and shook her head. “I should probably start getting ready too,” she said. “What are your plans?”

“I actually was hoping I could go pick up Henry and drive him to school this morning before I head out, if you think that’s OK,” he said.

“Yea,” Emma replied with a smile. “He would like that. I’ll call Regina and let her know you’re coming.”

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

Killian walked around the counter and put his mug in the sink. He was standing so close to Emma that he could feel her warmth next to him, a pleasant tension brewing between them. She casually grabbed him around the waist to pull him close and rest her head on his shoulder. He returned the gesture, rubbing his hand on her lower back. It just felt nice and simple and comfortable and everything he wished he could’ve had all these years.

He pulled away slightly and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, thankful that she let him without quickly moving away. But he could tell that his little gesture would be as far as she would let him go -- at least for now. Killian let his hands simply fall from her body and she did the same with hers.

“You should probably get going,” she said quietly. “You don’t want Henry to be late for school.”

“Right,” he replied, taking a step back to look at her green eyes and take them in for one more moment.

He gave her a nervous smile and reluctantly walked over to pick up his bag, which somehow felt heavier than when he packed it up only a few days earlier.

“Let me get the door for you,” Emma said, moving out of the kitchen to help him. She walked past him quickly and put her hand on the doorknob before pausing to take a breath. “I’m glad Henry found you,” she said.

“Me too,” he replied. “I really hope we can fix all this, you know.”

She looked up and smiled. “I hope so too.”

Killian gave her a nervous smile and nodded as she finally opened the door for him. He could feel her hand rest on his lower back for a moment as he walked past her and felt the warmth of her fingers even after she withdrew them.

“Call me when you get home,” she said to him as he walked out the door. “You know, just so I know you made it back OK.”

“I will,” he replied.

“And Killian?” He turned to see her standing in the doorway, leaning against its frame. “I know that a lot has happened between us, but I’m tired of living in the past.”

He gave her a tight smile. “I know how you feel.”

She nodded and took a deep breath. “Tell Henry I said hi when you drop him off.”

“Of course, love.”

Emma smiled and rolled her eyes at him. “Go get our son,” she said. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Talk to you soon,” he replied.

Killian started down the steps as he heard Emma close the apartment door behind him. _“Our son.” She called him “our son.”_ He smiled, assuring himself that no matter what was going to happen between the two of them, he would never get sick of Emma referring to Henry as “our son.”


	9. Chapter 9

Killian and Liam pulled together the last pieces to close the business down for the season. The boat had already been packed up and stored and the life jackets put away for use again in warmer weather. Most of the booze for their summer cruises had been boxed except for a bottle of rum that the brothers would traditionally finish on the last day of the season.

With everything finally put away, Killian placed the padlock on their shed by the water and headed down to the end of the dock, sitting on the edge to let his toes graze the cool surface of Lake Champlain. That’s when he felt his phone buzz, alerting him to an incoming text. He pulled it out to see a picture of Emma and Henry in front of a “Welcome to Storybrooke” sign with her golden hair glowing from the setting sun in Maine. “We miss you! See ya soon!” the text under it read. Killian smiled warmly. “You two look amazing. I’ll see you tomorrow!” he typed out and pressed “Send” on his phone.

It had been almost a month since he had left Henry and Emma back in Storybrooke so he could finish up his job with Liam, and he missed both of them more and more each day.

He was glad he had picked up Henry to say goodbye to him in person before getting out of town but at the same time, it only made leaving that much harder. He still remembered Henry’s arms clutched around his neck, telling him he had to stay for so many reasons. Killian promised he’d come back and would send Emma updates on how things were going in New York until he returned. It almost broke his heart to see the tears forming in Henry’s eyes as said goodbye to his son.

“Wipe those away,” he had said quickly to distract himself from his own emotions threatening to break through. “I’ll be back soon, I promise.” He waved and watched Henry go inside the school before climbing into his car, blinking rapidly to try and get the wetness out of his eyes.

“Brother! I bring rum!” Liam bellowed from behind him, pulling Killian out of his memories.

He turned and smiled, taking a glass from his brother’s hand and holding it out as Liam poured the amber liquid from the bottle in his other hand. “I have been waiting for this,” Killian said.

“To another successful season!” Liam said, holding the glass up high and clinking it against his brother’s before they both quickly downed the first of many shots for the night.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Killian was thankful he had decided to walk to work that morning instead of driving his black car. It would be a miracle if he could even walk straight by the time they finished this bottle of rum. Usually, there isn’t much left by the end of the season, but the final bottle of Captain Morgan’s was pretty full when they packed up the bar this year.

Liam took a deep breath and looked out over the calm water and golden trees. “I’m glad you came back to finish the season with me, Killian,” he admitted. “I know your mind hasn’t always been on work since Henry found you, but I’m proud of you for sticking with me.”

Killian smiled. “Anything for you, brother.” He heard Liam scoff next to him. “What?” he said, a smirk forming on his lips.

“There was a time once when you wouldn’t have hesitated to stay away as long as you could,” he said. “You’ve definitely changed.”

“Yea, I guess I have,” he replied, looking down at the glass of rum in his hand.

Liam put his arm around his brother and pulled him close. “You are an amazing brother to have by my side, Killian Jones.”

Killian just smiled, too emotional to find any words in response. The two brothers stayed like that on the end of the dock, drinking their rum while listening to the water lap against the shoreline as if they were the only two people on the lake at that moment.

“Well,” Liam said, his voice breaking with emotion as he took his hand from his brother’s shoulder, clearing his throat before continuing. “You ready for tomorrow?”

“I really am,” Killian answered earnestly as he stared out over the water. “I hope you are too. You’re going to like Henry!”

“I don’t doubt it, Jones. He is my nephew.”

“You’re going to like Emma too, I promise.”

“That one may be a little harder,” Liam replied with a bit of skepticism.

Killian took a deep breath. “Listen, I know that I’ve been a little critical of Emma in the past --”

“A little? I think that’s an understatement, brother.”

Killian gave him a tight smile. “I know, but I was wrong,” he replied. “Emma really is bloody brilliant and I hope you’ll be able to see that in her too.”

“For you, I’ll try,” Liam answered before tossing back the last of the liquor in his glass. “Who would’ve ever thought that when we had a drink to start the season, that we would end it talking about your son and ex-girlfriend?”

Killian laughed. So much had changed since they launched their boat at the beginning of the summer, but it had been for the better. Sure, there were definitely some major bumps in the road and there were plenty more to come, but for now he was finally truly allowing himself to believe that things were good.

“C’mon, brother,” he said, clasping Liam’s shoulder as he pushed himself to his feet. “Time to get some dinner and sleep off this rum if we want to drive to Maine tomorrow without a hangover.”

*** *** ***

Killian walked over to Liam’s apartment the next morning, feeling better than he expected after drinking almost half a bottle of rum. The Grand Slam breakfast he had for dinner at Denny’s the night before definitely helped. Nothing staves off a hangover quite like lots of eggs and toast.

But while he physically felt fine, his emotions were running wild. He was jumpy with the excitement of seeing Henry and Emma again -- and the fact that he would introduce them to Liam. But as he got closer to Liam’s place, there was the nagging realization that he had to tell Liam about what to expect from Henry. Killian knew the lad had a strong belief in this whole fairy tale thing and he didn’t want Liam to react harshly to it the first time Henry told him of his theory. And knowing Henry, that would probably be in the first five minutes of meeting his uncle.

Killian used his key to open the front door to his brother’s apartment and was immediately greeted by the smell of fresh brewed coffee. “Morning, brother!” Liam yelled. “How you feeling?”

“Not as bad as I thought I would,” Killian replied, walking into the kitchen to grab a travel mug from the cupboard and fill it up.

His brother dropped his duffel bag by the front door next to Killian’s and joined him in the kitchen. “Me neither,” he said, grabbing the pot of coffee. “Who said an early start to drinking was a bad thing?”

Killian gave him a slight smile and leaned against the kitchen counter, staring down at the mug in his hands.

“Something wrong?” Liam asked casually.

Killian took a breath and set his mug down. “I need to tell you something about Henry before we leave,” he replied.

“What about him?”

Killian nervously scratched behind his ear. “As soon as Henry meets you, he’s going to want to tell you a story and I want you to be prepared. He’s only 10, you know? And I want to make sure you don’t act surprised or discourage him or whatever.”

“Well, you have definitely raised my interest with this one, Jones,” Liam replied, a smirk forming on his lips. “What exactly is my nephew going to tell me?”

He had to swallow hard in hopes of steadying his voice. It was just a book, it was just a stupid story, but Henry believed it so deeply that even Killian began to hope that maybe some little bit of it was true. “So he thinks Storybrooke is cursed.”

“Cursed?” Liam asked.

“Aye. He thinks everyone in town is a fairy tale character who was sent to Maine by a curse and they can’t remember who they really are. But the curse can be broken by true love’s kiss, which is why he came to find me.”

“You’re going to break a curse by kissing someone you love?” he asked sarcastically.

“Um, no. Actually, Emma apparently has to kiss her true love to break the curse.” He took a deep breath. “Henry thinks that’s me.”

“Interesting,” Liam responded with a bit of intrigue in his voice.

“There’s more,” he muttered before taking a deep breath. “Henry thinks our father is one of the people in the town who is cursed.” Killian looked up to see Liam staring at him. “I know that sounds crazy, Liam, which is why I wanted to tell you before we --”

“Who does he think our father was?” Liam blurted out.

“What?”

“Who does Henry think our father was before he was cursed?”

Killian started to stammer, thrown off by his brother’s question. “Um, right, yea. So Henry thinks this fisherman named Eddie is our father. But before the curse, he was Captain Hook.”

Liam quickly pushed past his brother into the living room, searching for something on his bookshelf. Killian followed him and watched intently as Liam frantically searched the book bindings or something in particular. Then he pulled out a tome with a green cover. Even though it was missing its dust jacket, Killian still recognized it immediately. It was their old copy of Peter Pan.

“This Captain Hook?” he asked, flashing the title on the binding in Killian’s direction.

“Aye,” he responded. “What of it?”

Liam began to quickly flip through the pages before he stopped in the middle of it and pulled out a yellowed envelope. His hand was shaking as he held it out. “I didn’t show this to you before because I thought it was a joke or something.” He thrust it closer. “Take it!”

Killian grabbed the envelope from his brother’s shuddering hand. “I don’t understand.”

“When we showed up at the Joneses and couldn’t remember where we came from, Mum pulled something from my pocket, but I never saw it again. Then I found this with her things after she died.”

Killian turned it over in his hand, finally noticing some words written neatly in cursive on the front. _The Darlings, London._

“What is this?” he asked, looking up at Liam for some guidance.

“Read it,” his brother commanded, trying unsuccessfully to hold back the emotion in his voice.

Killian pulled out the yellowed paper from inside and unfolded it to find more writing that matched the front of the envelope.

_“Wendy, Michael, and John --_

_I’m no longer in Neverland and therefore no longer protected from a curse that is about to be enacted by the Evil Queen. I believe I have found a way to get us to safety with a portal, but I ask that you watch over my sons Liam and Killian if I am somehow separated from them. You are the only people I know who are not a part of this world and thus the only people who can help us. Please put aside whatever prejudices you have towards me for the sake of my sons. You’re our only hope._

_Hook”_


	10. Chapter 10

"Are you sure we didn't screw them up?"

"Screw what up?"

"Our names."

"No, _Killian_. We didn’t screw up our names."

"But the letter didn't say which one of us was the oldest and which one of us was the youngest."

Liam sighed from the driver's seat. "We had our initials sewn into the coats we were wearing when the Jones family found us."

"And those couldn't be letters for something else?"

Liam laughed at his brother. "You're just jealous of my name, aren't you?"

Killian scoffed. "Hardly.”

He grabbed his food from the bag they had picked up at the Burger King drive-thru and took a look to make sure he hadn’t left any fries in the bottom of it. He actually loved his name -- it was different and unique and women in particular thought it sounded “exotic” to match his “exotic” English accent.

"Speaking of names,” Killian said, “Are you sure Grandma Wendy's maiden name was Darling?"

"I'm positive,” Liam replied. “If she wasn't a Darling, then how did we end up with our family and a letter addressed to our grandmother and her brothers?"

"Well, considering you and I have no clue how we even got there in the first place, the possibilities are endless."

Liam just shrugged his shoulders and took a drink from his soda. "It seems quite convenient now that Grandma Wendy died before being able to tell us about our father," he said. "But I guess we can always ask Captain Hook himself."

"We'll see," Killian muttered.

He added it to a long list of questions running through his head that he would ask his father. Of course, that was assuming his father was a cursed Captain Hook -- and assuming Killian could help Emma break that curse.

“So now it's your turn to explain this to me again,” Liam said. “I can’t find Storybrooke on the GPS because it doesn’t exist, according to the curse.”

“Right,” Killian told his brother.

“So does it have a force field that protects it like Hogwarts or something?”

“Harry Potter isn’t real,” he answered, waving the french fry in his hand for added emphasis. “And I never read the books so I don’t know what exactly was protecting Hogwarts or whatever.”

Liam laughed from his spot in the driver’s seat. “So Harry Potter is fake, but a curse on this random town in Maine is real?”

Killian shrugged. “I guess,” he said, taking a bite from his burger. “Anyways, Henry said we can see it and get in because we were born in the Enchanted Forest.”

“You know, brother. This story is sounding more and more unbelievable.”

“Don’t look at me,” Killian said incredulously. “You’re the one with the letter from Captain Hook.”

“And you’re the one who has to get close to the savior to break the curse with true love’s kiss.”

Killian swallowed his food and kept his mouth shut. After the initial shock from the letter his brother had been holding onto, he was finally starting to believe that perhaps this was real. The brothers had shaken off the craziness of it all when their road trip finally made it to somewhere in New Hampshire. In fact, they had already joked and teased each other and tried to play out plenty of “what if” scenarios. ( _What if we could get the Jolly Roger with a real pirate crew to replace our boat for next summer?_ )

But when the joking was done, there was still the lingering doubt. Killian slouched down in his seat in the car. He was just setting himself up for disappointment and setting up everyone else for something close to a disaster.

"You need to get off at this exit," Killian mumbled as his brother put on his blinker and pulled off the highway.

Liam looked over at him from the driver's seat. "What are you thinking, brother?" he asked earnestly.

Killian sighed and looked out the window. "What if this is all wrong?" he asked quietly. "What if I'm not Emma's true love?"

"Do you love her?"

He eyes snapped back to his brother. "What do you mean?"

Liam let out a small laugh. "It's a simple question."

Killian just stared at his brother. Did he love her? He hadn't had a normal relationship with a woman since Emma because her ghost haunted his heart. He couldn't hold on to a woman because the fear of them leaving him was still so raw after Emma. And it was still amazing how quickly he let go of his anger towards her now that he knew the true story about what had happened to her.

And then there was Henry. He had only known he had a son for the past month, but that hadn't changed how much he deeply loved the lad already. It always made him smile to get a photo or text from Emma mentioning their son. She sent him a picture of Henry eating his first Maine lobster, a big grin on his face with melted butter running down his chin. Or there was the selfie of the two of them sitting in the front seat of the car Killian had originally stolen all those years ago. The guilt he had first carried from messing things up so much was slowly starting to be replaced with the warmth of growing closer to both of them each day, even if he wasn't there to see them.

But now, he would be. He would finally be able to see them in person again and finally be able to introduce them to his brother. It was all a bit overwhelming and yet felt completely natural at the same time.

"Killian?" his brother asked, breaking him out of his thoughts. “Do you love her?”

He swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "I do."

Liam smiled. "Good," he said quietly. "So what's your plan?"

"Don't know yet," Killian replied. "Turn right at that stop sign."

His brother thankfully dropped the subject of Emma for a bit as they navigated their way closer and closer to town. Emma had sent him some vague instructions, but he was also trying to navigate by memory, which wasn’t easy since the last time he was headed there, it was completely dark. Then Killian saw it: Welcome to Storybrooke.

"Do you see that sign?" he asked, pointing to it through the front windshield.

Liam pulled the car over to the side of the road, put the gear shift in park, and stared. Then he turned back to the useless GPS navigation on his dashboard, which was still showing a whole lot of nothing.

"Wow," he said in amazement. "It really isn’t on the map."

"Nope."

Liam stared at ahead. "This is all so weird."

Killian put his hand on his brother's shoulder and squeezed. "You ready?"

He shook his head slightly and took a deep breath. "Aye," he said. "The real question is are you?"

Killian took a deep breath and scratched nervously behind his ear. "I guess we're about to find out."

"Where are we headed, brother?"

Killian looked at his watch. It was just after 1 o'clock in the afternoon, which meant Emma was probably sitting at her desk finishing off her lunch. Before they left town, he had printed out a map she had drawn for them, labeled with different landmarks that may be helpful to him: Granny's Diner, the inn, Henry's school, her apartment. And then he found the one he was looking for.

"We're going to the sheriff's station."

Liam gave him a lopsided smile and put the car in drive. "As you wish."


	11. Chapter 11

Liam pulled his car up to the small sheriff’s station on Main St., parking it next to a beat-up yellow Beetle.

“I’m assuming that’s Emma’s car,” he said.

“Yea,” Killian replied quietly as he rubbed his sweaty palms on his jeans.

The car was silent for awhile and he could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears, his nerves beginning to take over his body. He hoped that when he got in there, he would find the right words for what he needed to say to her. Right now, however, there was nothing. When he needed words the most, his brain’s vocabulary could only come up with the fewest possible.

“I can come with you if you want,” Liam offered tentatively.

“No,” Killian replied quickly before lowering his voice. “No. I’ll be OK.”

Liam simply nodded as he watched his brother unbuckle his belt and climb out of the car. “Can you just stay here while I go in?” Killian asked him. “I may need a getaway car or something if things go sideways.”

“A getaway if you kiss the sheriff and you don’t break a spell?” Liam asked sarcastically before giving his brother a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll be here,” he said earnestly.

Killian gave him a slight nod and slammed the car door. He turned and stared at the front door of the sheriff’s station before taking what felt like the longest walk in his life. _If you can just put one foot in front of the other, you can put one word together with another,_ he thought.

Killian opened the door, the quiet station buzzing in his ears. Perhaps he had misjudged the time or maybe he had hyped himself up only to realize that the sheriff wasn’t even there. But at the end of the long hallway, he found Emma alone in her office, sitting behind her desk doing paperwork.

“I’ll be with you in just a second,” she said without looking up from her desk. He just continued to stand there, too nervous to move or speak as he watched her sign off on a report with a flourish of her hand. Emma closed the folder and turned to see who her guest was, her smile suddenly expanding when she realized it was him.

“Killian,” she said, walking over to wrap her arms around his neck. He responded by gently hugging her back, too afraid to do anything more. “I didn’t expect you to get here until later.”

He quickly pulled away from Emma, giving her a slight smile and nervously scratching behind his ear. “Yea, I wanted to get up her a little quicker I guess,” he said quietly.

“So did you find it OK?” she asked.

“Um, yea,” he answered. “Your directions were a big help.”

She smiled at him. “Good. Yea, I was a little worried with the whole ‘can’t find it on a map’ thing.”

Killian just nodded and stared at her, not sure how to approach her exactly. And of course being Emma Swan, she picked up on his apprehension. “So what’s up, Jones?”

Killian took a deep breath, summoning up his courage. “We need to talk,” he replied seriously.

Emma raised an eyebrow in his direction before giving him an awkward smile. She slowly took a few steps back and sat down on the edge of the desk behind her. “I’ve found when a man says that, I’m rarely in for a pleasant conversation.”

Killian gave her a weak smile. “I just um …” _Ugh._ He should’ve come in with a plan. He should’ve had some sort of idea of what he was going to say. And instead, he couldn’t say anything.

“You just um what?” Emma asked.

He looked out the window of the station and saw his brother standing outside, staring at the front door of the building, waiting for some sign or some hope from his little brother. Killian turned back towards Emma, a look of anticipation on her face. Her green eyes sparkled, her lips were slightly parted, and her pull over him at that moment was something he couldn’t resist any longer.

“I’m in love with you,” he blurted out.

Emma stared at him, too stunned to move for a moment. Her mouth moved silently, unable to initially speak the words she wanted, before she finally found her voice. “You’re in love with me?” she asked quietly.

Killian’s courage was starting to disappear and he could barely nod his head in response to her question. Then she slowly stood up and walked towards him, reaching for his hand. But instead of grabbing it, he instinctively recoiled and stuffed them in the pockets of his jeans. She looked up and he could see the hesitation and hurt in her eyes. It was practically permeating her whole body as she took a step back from him, rubbing her hand as if she had burned it on a hot stove.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t … I don’t mean to push you away.”

“And yet you are,” she replied bitterly. "I don't understand what exactly is going on here, Jones."

Killian took a deep breath, regaining his courage to tell her everything. “I want to kiss you so badly right now, I really do,” he confessed. “I just need to say something to you first.”

She gave him a confused look. "Like what?"

“The curse is real.”

She looked at him, searching his face to see if this was some sort of trick. He wouldn’t blame her for thinking he was crazy or was making some kind of joke. If it wasn’t for the letter Liam had in his apartment, Killian himself wasn’t sure he would be here saying this to her. But that letter was real. Henry’s story was real.

“What are you talking about?” she asked, refusing to take her eyes off of him.

“I think Henry is right,” he said quickly. “I think Captain Hook is my father and he’s a cursed fisherman down at the docks who just doesn’t remember who he truly is.”

Emma stared at him and then let out a nervous laugh. “You’re lying,” she said incredulously. “This is some sort of a joke.”

“I’m not joking, Emma,” he replied earnestly before running a hand through his hair. “Here, use your super power on me. Look at me and tell me I’m lying.”

She stared at him as if she was hoping to see some crack in this facade. "You really believe it's true," she replied.

He took a step closer to her and inhaled deeply, summoning whatever courage he could from within himself. “I've wanted to kiss you since the day I left here so I’m finally going to do that now if that’s OK.” She gave him one simple nod. “But I want you to know that I’m doing this because I want to, curse or no curse.” He stared at her, hoping she could see that he meant every word he said. “You know that isn't a lie, don't you?”

Emma looked at him intently before her features started to soften. Killian couldn’t hold himself back anymore -- the look from her was all he needed. He felt like he couldn’t even control his feet as he walked quickly to her. "Emma," he whispered, cupping her head in his hands and looking into her green eyes.

He pulled her to him, his lips pressing hard against hers, but nothing happened. Killian thought maybe he messed all of this up and this was a mistake. Maybe she actually didn’t feel the same way or thought he was crazy for believing in the curse. But then her lips moved tentatively under his before she finally gave in and reciprocated his kiss, matching the passion he had poured into it.

And then he felt it.

It was as if she had shocked him with a force radiating out from her. He pulled back quickly, trying to get his bearings as he put his hands on his knees. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t see, he felt completely dazed. Then his mind started to reel with memories of another life that used to be his. He saw a young Liam and a forest and a green flash of light. He saw his father, his father’s ship, his father’s crew.

“Killian?” Emma’s voice seemed distant but slowly came back into focus. “Killian, come back to me,” she whispered.

He inhaled deeply as if he was coming up for air after diving deep into the water. Emma was on her knees next to him, a reassuring hand on his back as she stared at him for some sign he heard her. He looked up to see he was back in the sheriff’s station, but it was different. He was different.

Killian couldn’t help it. He began to laugh louder and more joyously than he ever had before. “Swan!” he yelled, pulling her up from the floor and off her feet as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. “You’re brilliant, Swan. You’re bloody brilliant.”

She harshly pushed him away, forcing him to set her down on the ground with a look of confusion on her face. “What are you doing?” she asked incredulously. “What is going on?”

He gave her the biggest smile he had ever given anyone and leaned close to her ear. “You broke the curse, Swan,” he whispered tenderly. “You’re our savior.”

He pulled his face away from her to see her incredulously staring at him. He reached up to fix her hair, tenderly tucking her golden locks behind her ear as she continued to stare at him. Then her gaze quickly broke from him as they heard the sound of the door to the sheriff’s station opening violently.

“Brother!” Liam yelled frantically. “Killian, where are you?”

“In here,” he said, yelling over his shoulder without taking his eyes off of Emma.

He could hear Liam’s exuberant laughter behind him before his brother came to stand beside him. “Is this Emma?” he asked, swinging his arm around his brother’s shoulders.

“It is,” Killian replied without letting go of her hand.

Killian turned to see a huge smile form on Liam’s face. “You’re bloody brilliant, Emma,” he said with astonishment before leaning over to gently give her a chaste kiss on her cheek.

“I heard,” she said, her voice still dripping with shock. Apparently, even after breaking the curse, she still wasn’t fully ready to accept what had just happened even though the Jones brothers were well aware of what she had done. “So what am I supposed to do now?”

Killian took a deep breath, concern beginning to creep over him. “First, we have to get Henry and move him to safety, especially considering his other mother is evil,” he replied.

"Wait, what?" Emma asked. “I mean, Henry thought Regina was the Evil Queen but --”

"She is the Evil Queen, Swan."

"Seriously?" Emma replied incredulously.

Liam moved closer to them, worry spreading across his face. “Wait, how did the Evil Queen get her hands on my nephew?”

“She’s his adoptive mother,” Killian said before turning back to the sheriff.

“Bloody buggering hell!” Liam exclaimed.

“Where is he now, Swan?”

“School,” she replied. “I can get him.”

“We can both go,” he replied.

She gave him a tight smile. “You have somewhere else to be.”

Killian looked at her as his heart began to beat faster in his chest. He was torn about what to do next -- go get his son and make sure he’s safe, or go with his brother to find the father they had lost so many years ago. He was grateful Emma saw his conflict and made the decision for him.

“Listen to me, Killian,” she said, pulling herself closer to him. “Henry and I, we were never really cursed, at least according to him. He and I have to sort out a few things that you don’t.”

“I can help you, Swan.”

“I appreciate the effort, Jones, I really do,” she said, putting her hand on his chest. “But you and your brother have someone else to see first.”

He smiled down at her. He found it so amazing that she had just broken the curse by kissing him and still seemed so in control. And yet, if he had been a baby when the curse came, if he didn’t have any memories of the Enchanted Forest, perhaps he would be calm like Emma. Instead he felt like a crazed version of himself who needed Emma to ground him and bring him back to whatever reality he was currently living in.

“Now let’s get going, OK?” she said.

Killian nodded in reply and finally started to move towards the front door of the sheriff’s station, his brother and his apparent true love beside him. Killian still worried about his son and thought about pushing his way into Emma’s police cruiser, but he looked at her and knew she was strong and tough and nothing would happen to Henry with her in charge. Besides, he had a pirate to find.

Killian opened the door of the station as the three of them rushed out. "Let me know when you get Henry -- and don't hesitate to call if you need help, OK?"

Emma nodded. "So where are you headed?"

"We’ll be over at the docks trying to find our father," he said.

“Sounds like a plan.”

Killian leaned over and whispered in her ear. "We’ll meet up later and this time, I will find you." He gave her a wink, then placed one more kiss on her forehead. “And make sure you tell Henry he was right.”

"I will,” she said quietly, giving him a slight smile. She quickly climbing into her car and drove off with the sirens blaring -- one of the perks for being sheriff.

The brothers watched her leave before looking out on the warm fall day in Maine. It was as if the world looked completely different than it had when they arrived even though the trees and sun and water were still the same.

"You ready?" Killian asked excitedly.

“Lead the way this time, brother!”


	12. Chapter 12

His legs were losing strength, his lungs were burning, but he had to keep up with his father and brother. The curse was close and he didn’t want to be left behind.

The group kept moving quickly farther and farther into the dense forest, hoping it would provide some kind of protection from the swirling purple clouds behind them. Killian could hear Smee, his father’s first mate, struggling to keep up with them. That being said, he was still doing his best to make sure the boys went faster to elude the grasp of the Evil Queen.

“Keep running!” he was yelling from behind them. “It’s getting closer! Keep running!”

So Killian ran and ran, jumping over plants and ducking under branches. He was so focused on moving forward that he barely realized he had run past his father, who had tripped over a tree root. Liam and Killian both turned to reach for their father, trying desperately to help him up, but the captain’s foot was firmly wedged between the root and the ground.

They looked back to see his trusted first mate farther down the road, too tired to run anymore and resigned to his fate. Killian watched in horror as Smee was swallowed up by the curse.

There was no time to wait and there was no longer any way to avoid its path. The captain couldn’t risk his sons getting stuck in this curse because they were trying to save him. He would have to sacrifice being swept up by it in order to hold out hope that his boys would be able to escape its wrath.

Captain Hook pulled out a glass-like bean from his vest pocket and tightened his fist around it. “You have to leave me, boys. You have to save yourselves.”

“No, papa!” Liam screamed as he struggled with the root. “We’ll get you out!”

He kept trying to pull and tug and scrape away at the tree rooting his father in place, but the captain put his trusted hook gently over his son’s struggling hand. “Be still, Liam.”

Then he smiled sadly and threw the bean into a small clearing. The boys turned to watch as a large hole opened up before them with a bright green light coming from within it. Hook gave a grateful sigh. That portal had cost him so much, but it worked and that’s all that mattered to the battered pirate.

“Remember what I told you,” their father instructed. “Hold each other’s hands and think of the Darlings in London.”

“But we don’t even know the Darlings or where London is,” Liam replied.

“Think of the words, and think of them together, and you will land there,” he calmly said to them. “You have to go now, boys. I’ll find you soon enough, but you have to go.” Liam and Killian threw their arms around their father, tears streaming down their faces. “Promise me you’ll take care of each other.”

“I promise, papa.”

“I promise, too,” Killian replied, struggling to get the words out in between his harsh sobs.

The captain then gruffly pushed them away. “Now go!” he yelled. “GO!”

The boys ran towards the green light, stopping at the edge of the portal that had opened up before them. Killian grabbed his brother’s hand and turned just in time to see his father engulfed in the purple haze of the curse. Then he looked at Liam, squeezing his hand tighter. He promised his father that he would hold on to his brother and he was determined to keep his promise, even if it meant using every bit of strength he had left.

“Ready, brother?” Liam asked tentatively.

Killian simply nodded, too scared to say anything as the wind began whipping up around them.

"Remember the Darlings in London!" his brother yelled.

Liam gave Killian's hand a slight tug and then they jumped. The portal's light flashed up around them as it recorded their destination and set its course. But the curse was coming on strong. It began to swirl around them in midair, tickling their ears and stealing their memories from inside their heads. The portal tugged harder on the children, finally sweeping them into its grasp to send the boys on their way to a new world.

Then everything and everyone was gone.

*** *** ***

It was dark on the residential street in the middle of London except for some street lights near the road. There was a light rain falling, which was just enough to discourage most Brits from taking to the street for a walk. So that night, no one saw two boys materialize in front of the Victorian-style house in Kensington.

The older boy, his hand tightly holding on to the younger one, knocked tentatively on the imposing door leading to the front stoop they somehow ended up on.

A young woman in a pair of blue jeans and a grey t-shirt answered the door, looking a bit surprised at her nighttime visitors. “Do you need help?” she asked, peering down at the small boys.

“I think so,” the older one said quietly.

The woman glanced at them with a tender look on her face. “What are your names, boys?”

The children looked at each other, panic beginning to wash over them. What were their names? Could they not remember them?

“Or maybe you can tell me where you're from?” she asked gently, trying to put the boys at ease.

The younger one shook his head. He had no idea where he came from or how he got there or even who he was. How could he have forgotten all of those things?

The woman kneeled down so she could be eye level with the two dirt-covered children in odd clothes who had ended up on her doorstep. “Do you have anything that may help us figure out who you are?”

The older boy instinctively pulled open his coat as if he knew something was there without really remembering what it was. Inside the lining of his coat was a pocket with a white envelope stuffed in it.

“Well then, what’s this, lad?” she asked with a reassuring smile as she pulled the paper out of his pocket.

“I don’t know,” he honestly replied.

The woman turned it over in her hands, the color draining from her face as she looked at the address on the front. Her hands began to shake violently as she opened it and pulled out the letter inside. She quickly used her free hand to instinctively cover the shocked expression on her lips as she read the words. Then she looked back up at the boys standing on her front steps with dirt smudges on their faces.

“Well, let’s see what we have here,” she said with a shaky voice before patting the older boy down as if she was looking for some other clues about who they were. She pulled his coat open herself this time, revealing the letter L stitched in gold thread above the pocket that had held his letter. The woman soon found a matching one on the younger boy -- a K.

“You must be Liam,” she said, grabbing the older boy’s shoulder. “And you, young man, are Killian.”

The boys simply nodded their heads in acceptance as the woman stood up and moved out of the door frame.

“Come along, boys," she said, smiling down at them. "Let’s get you a nice hot bath. You’re safe here.”

The older boy took the hand of the younger one and they slowly walked into the well-lit home as the woman closed the door behind them.

"My name is Jane," the woman said, leaning over so she was once again eye level with them. "Have you ever heard of me?"

The boys just shook their heads.

"Well, right then," she said casually, standing once again and gently placing her hands on the boys’ backs. "Let's move along. There's someone I want you to meet."

The boys did as they were told and followed Jane into a sitting room with an older woman perched on the edge of a chair by a roaring fire.

"Mum?" Jane asked.

The woman turned, a flash of recognition quickly crossing her face as she looked at the two boys before having it disappear just as fast.

"These brothers just knocked on our door," she said, putting her arm around Killian's shoulder.

"We're brothers?" Killian asked, his head looking up towards Jane.

"You are," she said reassuringly.

Killian could feel the warmth growing in his chest as he gripped his brother's hand harder. He felt so strange and scared but as he turned towards Liam, the boy gave him a warm smile. _This is going to be fine,_ Killian thought. _I have my brother._

Jane gave the boy's shoulder a squeeze, then let go and walked towards the woman by the fire.

"The older one had this letter with him,” she explained.

Her hand was still shaking as she handed over the envelope, but Killian found it reassuring that she had gained some control over it. The older woman reached for the envelope and pulled out the letter. She grabbed some reading glasses from the table next to her and unfolded the paper in front of her. A smile began to slowly creep over her face.

"Come here, boys," she said after a few moments, motioning with her hand to have them walk closer to her.

She looked at them for several seconds, taking in their clothes and mannerisms. Killian felt uneasy and nervously scratched behind his ear, eliciting a warm smile from the old woman. "Has anyone ever told you boys that you have your father's eyes?" Both of them shook their heads. "No?" she asked in a comforting tone.

"We don't know who our father is," Liam explained sadly.

The woman smiled at him. "Maybe someday, I'll tell you about him," she said, pushing herself up from the chair. "In the meantime, I think we need to clean these children up, Jane. Perhaps give them some warm milk before bed?"

Jane smiled at her and nodded. "I think that's a wonderful idea, Mum," she replied.

"Thank you, ma'am," Liam said quietly.

"Oh, you don't have to be so stuffy," the woman said. "You can call me Wendy."


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone asked what Captain Hook looks like since he and Killian are two different people in this story. So he would look like he did as Blackbeard in season 3 and [more like this](http://www.aceshowbiz.com/images/wennpic/charles-mesure-2011-disney-abc-summer-press-tour-02.jpg) in Storybrooke. Essentially, think of actor Charles Mesure, who played Blackbeard, in costume in the Enchanted Forest and out of costume in Storybrooke.

This time, it was Killian leading his brother, running as fast as they could towards the docks. Luckily, he was stronger now than he was as a child and didn’t have any trouble rushing the four blocks to the waterfront.

He stopped abruptly at the edge of the docks, his brother pulling up to a quick stop next to him, and their eyes began to scan the faces of the workers on the docks. Most of them seemed to be in shock, too surprised by the curse breaking to know how to react. Killian and Liam may have looked the same way if it weren’t for the fact that they had a specific purpose as they scanned the boats in the harbor.

“Do you see him, Killian?” Liam asked.

“Not yet,” he replied. “Remember that he hasn’t aged so he’ll look just like he did when we last saw him.”

“Really?” Liam said, a hint of surprise in his voice.

Killian just shrugged. “It’s all part of the curse. Whoever was here hasn’t aged since it began 28 years ago.”

“This is all so bizarre,” Liam said with a note of awe in his voice, his eyes continuing to check the bay.

Then Killian spotted him. The captain was sitting on the bench Killian had rested on those many weeks ago, his head down as he stared at his calloused right hand, worn by years working on the deck of a fishing boat. His left hand, however, was an unassuming prosthetic -- nothing flamboyant or expected for someone who used to answer to the name Captain Hook. His attire also wasn’t very pirate-like. Killian remembered the black pants, embroidered vests and long black leather duster his father often wore as he stalked the deck of his ship, the Jolly Roger. But this man before them was wearing denim overalls and rubber boots.

And yet, even with the unassuming clothes and the simple prosthetic, his face still looked the part of a pirate. His skin was tan from being out on the water for extended periods of time. The scruff on his cheeks and wrinkles around his eyes gave him a rough look that would make any sailor fear him -- but only if he wanted them to. If you were on his good side, that look was inviting and charming and made anyone want to have a drink with him at the local pub.

Next to him was Smee, his father’s first mate, who was wearing the same damn red hat that he wore as a pirate in the other realm. Killian couldn’t figure out how he had that hat in both this realm and their home but figured it was just a style that was so ingrained in the former pirate that it couldn’t be limited to one land.

“Do you see them?” Liam whispered.

He was standing right next to him and was sure they were both looking in the same direction at the same man. But like Liam, it was so strange to see their father in front of him that he understood why his brother was still not totally believing the whole thing.

“Let’s go, brother,” he replied simply.

Killian began to walk purposefully towards the pair on the bench as Liam matched his brother’s strides next to him. They were careful not to walk too fast in hopes that they didn’t scare the pirates or just in case it all really was just a mirage. But as they got closer and closer, the men’s features became more defined. And then they heard the captain’s first mate speak and knew for sure these were the men they were looking for.

“Captain,” Smee said with a strong and serious tone. “I promise we will look far and wide if we have to, and we will find your sons.”

Killian smiled. It was just like Smee to make sure he and his brother were protected.

Liam cleared his throat and the pirates immediately turned to see two young men walking towards them. “No need to send out a search party, Mr. Smee,” Liam said lightly.

A smile teased at the captain’s lips as tears of joy began to stream down his face. He stood and staggered quickly towards them, pulling his now grown boys into his arms and holding on to them with all the strength he had. “You found me, boys” he said quietly.

The three of them stood together quietly, holding tightly on to their family as if they were expecting to be pulled apart again soon. But this time, they stayed together. He could feel his father’s scratchy beard rubbing against his own scruff and he couldn’t help but smile. Even after all these years, after years of not even knowing what had happened to their father, even after all of that, Killian still seemed to have inherited his father’s disdain for a razor.

There was a sniffling sound behind his father and Killian opened his eyes to see Smee trying desperately to wipe his tears away from his cheeks with the back of his hands. The young man motioned for his father’s first mate to come closer so he could join in, and Smee quickly accepted the wordless invitation. Killian took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of Smee’s wet wool hat that always reminded him of his home on the Jolly Roger.

Home.

They had never spent any time together as a family in Storybrooke. They hadn’t been together as a family in decades. And yet, despite all that, as Killian stood on that dock holding on to these people he loved so dearly, he couldn’t help but feel he was at home.

His father finally pulled away from the brothers, placing the palm of his hand on Liam’s cheek and his fake hand on Killian’s shoulder.

“I see we need to get you your hook back,” Killian said teasingly.

“No need,” his father replied with a smile. “I have everything I desire right here.”

“But admit it,” Liam replied. “It would be cool.”

Hook laughed. “Even after all these years adjusting to life without it, I wouldn’t turn it down,” he said. “But enough about me, lads. You have to tell me everything that’s happened to you.”

The four men wandered over to the bench where the pirates took their place back on the bench. Liam found a nearby rock to sit on while Killian took a spot on the grass near his father’s feet, leaning back to rest the weight of his body on his elbows with his legs outstretched in front of him.

Hook asked the boys about how they fared once they got through the portal and they told him about their adoptive parents, the Joneses, and how they had warmly welcomed them in. Jane and her husband didn’t have any children when the brothers arrived, but they treated the boys as if they were their own. And the boys mourned their deaths -- Mr. Jones when they were teenagers and Jane only a few years ago -- as any child would mourn the loss of a parent.

Hook seemed particularly pleased listening to them talk about their adoptive mother after they had lost their mother -- Hook’s wife -- before the curse arrived. Liam and Killian remembered that their mother had died after a fever had swept through the Jolly Roger. It was one of the bitter memories they had to relive along with the sweet ones now that the curse was broken.

And so it went for another hour or so. The captain talked about his life in Storybrooke as a fisherman. And in exchange, the boys told their father about their lives now -- Hook was particularly pleased that they owned a ship.

“And what about Wendy? Did you ever get to meet her?”

Liam smiled. “You made a good choice sending us to her,” he said. “She was the best grandmother ever.”

“Grandmother?” Hook asked, a smirk forming on his face. “I guess I keep forgetting that time gets messed up when Neverland and a curse are involved.”

“Wait, how old was she when you knew her?” Killian asked.

Hook laughed a bit. “Oh, I would say she was just a girl of 10, maybe 12 years old,” he said. “Even then, she made quite the impression on me.”

“I remember her as well,” Smee said. “She was such a nice girl -- at least better than those ragamuffins that made up the Lost Boys.”

The four of them sat quietly, listening to the waves lap up against the boats as they all tried to take in this new life they were now living together. It was just so strange and bizarre and yet so comfortable. It was almost as if they had never been away from each other.

“So,” Hook finally said, breaking the afternoon silence. “After all of that, how did you bloody find me?”

Liam laughed. “It was Killian. He broke the curse.”

All three men turned to stare at Killian. “How did you break the curse?” the captain asked.

Killian just glared back at them. After diverting his attention to his father, the shock of his actions at the sheriff's station came rushing back to him, rendering his thought process useless.

“Killian?” Smee asked, trying to encourage him to find his words.

But it was Liam who cleared his throat and finally spoke up. "Killian kissed the savior," he proudly replied on his brother’s behalf.

Hook stared at him, a smirk beginning to tease his lips. “Really?” he asked. "So you're the true love of Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter?"

His son could only sheepishly nod in response.

“And am I to assume that she kissed you to break the curse?”

Killian swallowed hard and sat up, taking a deep breath. “Aye. That’s how it happened.”

The captain gave his son a teasing grin before turning to his first mate. "Well, Smee," he said matter-of-factly. "I didn't expect that fairy tale ending. Did you?"


	14. Chapter 14

The men had finally made their way to Granny’s Diner after Killian got a text from Emma, saying she was headed over there with Henry. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief knowing she had been able to get to him without Regina standing in the way. In fact, he overheard some people on the street say she had locked herself in her house and refused to answer it for anyone. Hopefully that would give them a little more time to find a way to protect Henry in the coming days.

Many of the cursed people in the town had already made it inside the diner and Killian began to look around to see if he recognized anyone. He saw Geppetto, who made wooden trinkets that his father would buy whenever they were in the toymaker’s village. And he recognized a few of the dwarves from the gold mines, who would sometimes give his father their treasure in exchange for goods. But he couldn’t place others and figured it was because he spent too much time on his father’s ship to know people on land.

The group took a seat in one of the booths along the wall and Ruby finally came over to take their order, stopping along the way to say hello to long-lost friends. Killian made a note of Liam’s wandering eye when the waitress walked away, reminding himself that he would have to tease his brother about that one later.

But with all the catching up the brothers had done with their father at the docks, Killian still hadn’t gotten to the part about his son. Luckily, it was his father who gave him a chance to finally broach the subject.

"You know, Killian, you never told me who our savior was," Hook said teasingly.

"Do you know Emma Swan?"

A smirk broke out across his father's face. "Your true love is the sheriff?" he asked jokingly. "Are you sure you're the son of a pirate?"

"I know. I promise I didn't do that just to rebel against you,” Killian said with a laugh.

"I actually like Emma," the captain replied. "Have you met her son, Henry? He likes to hang out at the docks sometimes and he’s seemed much happier since she got to town."

"Listen, about that," Killian began.

But before he could finish, he heard the most amazing voice come from across the diner.

"Dad!"

He looked to see the energetic bundle that was Henry come bounding over to him, his scarf flying behind him. Killian barely had enough time to stand up from the booth before the boy flung himself into his father's arms. He hauled his son up until the boy's feet were no longer touching the ground as he cradled his head, running his fingers over his hair.

"Henry," he whispered into the boy's ear.

“I told you that you would help break the curse.”

“That you did, lad,” he said, giving his son an extra squeeze.

Killian looked over Henry’s shoulder to see Emma walking towards them, a sweet smile on her face. “Hi,” she said quietly.

He smiled at her in return before setting the boy down next to the table. “Hey, I want you to meet some people,” he said, turning to the three men with him. “This is Smee.”

“I know!” Henry said cheerfully, giving the first mate a wave.

“Hello, lad!” he replied.

Killian put a hand on Henry’s shoulder and turned him slightly. “This is Liam, your uncle.”

Liam leaned over the table and held his fist out. “Hey, buddy. What’s up?” Henry gave him a huge smile and a fist bump in return.

“And this,” Killian said, taking a deep breath. “This is your grandfather.”

Captain Hook held out his hand for Henry to shake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you -- again,” he said, a tinge of emotion creeping into his voice.

Henry held his grandfather’s hand and smiled. “So can I call you Grandpa Hook?” he asked enthusiastically.

The group laughed, no one more louder than the captain himself. “I always knew you were quite the precocious one, lad!” he said. “You can call me whatever you want.” 

“Hey, you want to meet my other grandpa? He’s a prince and he said he would teach me how to fight with a sword.”

“Oh no, we can’t have that, boy,” the captain replied seriously. “You need to learn how to sword fight like a pirate, not a prince.”

With that, the captain stood up and was led away by his grandson to meet Emma’s father with Smee in tow. Liam stood up next to his brother and put an arm around his shoulder, puffing his chest out a bit as if he was proud to show everyone that he was Killian’s brother and Henry’s uncle.

“Quite the sight, isn’t it?” Liam asked him.

“It is,” his brother said quietly.

He could see Liam turn his head away towards the diner’s counter before giving his little brother a pat on the shoulder. “I’ll leave you two to talk,” he whispered in Killian’s ear. “Please don’t feel rushed.”

Killian watched as Liam did exactly what he had predicted. Forget giving him some privacy. He had noticed how Liam’s eyes had been watching Ruby in her tight red tank top. Sure enough, Killian saw his older brother slide onto a stool and turn on the charm -- and he looked like he was succeeding. He highly doubted he would get the food he ordered anytime soon with Liam chatting up the waitress.

Killian sat back down in the booth, motioning for Emma to sit next to him. She slid in beside him and he gently nudged her shoulder and gave her a quick smile before turning to watch their son. Henry was standing in the middle of the room, the captain on one side and a well-built man with short brown hair on the other.

“Is that your father?” Killian asked, nodding towards the unfamiliar face.

“Yep, that’s Prince Charming,” she said, a bit of wonder in her voice. “You can call him David.”

“And what are you going to call him?” he asked.

She took a deep breath. “David, for now,” she said hesitantly.

Killian gave her a reassuring nod, letting her know that yes, this was all very strange and yes, he understood that she was having trouble dealing with all of it.

"So," he said, trying to distract from her family issues. "How is your roommate with everything that’s happened?"

She laughed uncomfortably. “Well, I think I need to warn you about something,” she said. “I mean, it’s not that big of a deal, but it kind of is.”

Killian looked at her, raising an eyebrow of suspicion in her direction.

“So I told Mary Margaret some things about us before the curse was broken,” she said hesitantly. “Personal things."

"Like what?"

"Girl stuff during girl conversations,” Emma replied before taking a deep breath. “Like I told her that even after all these year, I still remembered you as the best sex I ever had.”

A devilish smile formed on Killian’s lips as he watched Emma’s face begin to turn red. He leaned in, closing the personal space between them. “I hardly think that’s a problem, love,” he said in a husky tone.

Emma just stared at his chest, too embarrassed to look him in the eye. “Mary Margaret is Snow White.”

“Snow White?” Killian replied sarcastically. “Just because she has a virginal name doesn’t mean your roommate is unfamiliar with sex. I mean, I saw her come home from a date _the next morning_.”

Emma’s eyes snapped up, staring at him, trying to make him understand or remember or ...

"Mary Margaret is your mother,” Killian replied in a dejected tone. “Maybe I can avoid her for a few weeks or years or something.”

“No.”

“Maybe she forgot?”

Emma gave him a tight smile and shook her head. “I've already talked to her today. She _definitely_ remembers.”

“Bloody hell.”

She gave him a tight sympathetic smile and turned back to the crowd in the diner. “Sorry.”

“I may survive the embarrassment,” he said.

Emma scoffed quietly next to him. “Are your parent issues any better?"

“My father is a pirate, so that’s pretty brilliant,” Killian explained. "My mother, on the other hand..." His voice trailed off, not sure about how to explain the situation.

"Not as cool as a pirate?" Emma asked.

"No, she was actually a brilliant pirate before she passed away," he replied quietly before taking a deep breath. “But I have my dad back, which is more than I could've ever thought was possible." He looked over at her and saw an uneasiness on her face. "Emma?"

She quietly stared at her hands resting on the table. “You would've never remembered your mother’s death if the curse hadn't been broken,” she whispered. “If I hadn’t broken it.”

Killian grabbed her hand and rubbed his thumb along the back of it. “And I would’ve never remembered my father either, Swan,” he replied reassuringly. “Don’t ever regret what you’ve done for us.”

“Right,” she replied sarcastically. “Because I’m everyone’s savior now, aren’t I? Because I broke a curse with true love’s kiss or whatever.”

“Because I’m your true love,” he replied quietly.

He knew she hadn’t meant to hurt him by saying what she did, knew it was just a flippant comment, but it still stung. Emma turned to stare at him, realizing that her words had hit him a little too close to his heart.

“Killian, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that,” she said quickly. “I just … I just don’t know what to think about any of this honestly.”

“I don’t either, love. So let’s just enjoy tonight then, shall we? And we’ll deal with all that tomorrow.”

She looked up at him and he could tell that some of the tension she was holding onto was starting to disappear. “Thank you. Really.”

Killian pulled her hand closer to him and leaned towards her. “Besides, I’m not going anywhere this time. You’re stuck with me for awhile, Swan.”

“Good.”

He smiled and pulled her hand to his lips to give it a gentle kiss. Then the two of them turned to watch their son take jabs at each of his grandfathers with an imaginary sword -- the pirate giving him one piece of advice before the prince would confuse him by telling him the exact opposite. He saw Mary Margaret joined the group, putting her arm around her prince and smiling at his son.

Killian watched, enamored with the entire scene. He was still the same person he was when he woke up this morning to start a road trip with his brother to a sleepy town in Maine. And yet he was also so completely different. It had only taken one kiss a few hours earlier -- one magical, sensational kiss -- to become a son and a true love in one moment.

Killian turned to see Emma smiling as she took in the whole thing. After so much that had passed between them, he really did have to admit their reunion was magical. And if he was being honest with himself, he hoped this could truly become their happily ever after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry! There's still one last chapter left and I hope to have it up by the end of the week. Thanks for all the support!


	15. Chapter 15

The Jones family was dressed in their best clothes for the night and rightfully so considering what a big event it was going to be. Killian had made sure to get all the details perfect. After all, he was going to have the most beautiful date on his arm -- at least that’s what he had assumed. Emma had been very careful about keeping her final plans close without giving him any details.

“Stop fidgeting,” Liam whispered in his ear as they stood with their father waiting for her arrival. “You look fine.”

“I still feel so weird in these clothes,” his brother replied.

“Well, you do look a bit ridiculous with ….” Liam’s voice trailed off and Killian looked at his brother, realizing he was distracted by something. “You are one lucky man, brother,” he said, nodding towards the stairs.

Killian turned to see Emma walking down, dressed in a long red ballgown. The neckline had beads matching the color of the fabric and accentuated all the right places on her body. Her long blonde hair had been swept up off of her neck into a bun with a few loose tendrils framing her face. To put it simply, she was amazing.

Killian walked towards the bottom of the stairs to meet her, his hand quickly grabbing hers, pulling it close to kiss it like the honorable man that he was. “You look absolutely stunning, your highness,” he said in awe.

“And you look …”

“I know,” he said in a low teasing voice.

She gave him a strange look and pulled her hand away. “Did you just wink at me?”

He smirked. “Perhaps.”

“I couldn’t tell with the eye patch you’re wearing, Jones.”

Killian pulled the cheap piece of plastic away from his eye and winked at her again. “Is that better?”

“Not much,” she said teasingly. “And did you really dress like a pirate? Seems a little obvious, doesn’t it?”

Killian stood up and stared at her. “Says the princess”

“The difference is that I make this look good,” she replied, sweeping past him to show off the low-cut back of her dress before doing a quick twirl for him.

“You do cut quite the figure in that dress, love.”

“Hey!” said a voice behind him. “Watch yourself. That’s my daughter.”

Emma turned to smile at David, who had walked over to join the rest of their group.

“And what exactly are you supposed to be dressed as, mate?” Killian asked. “You look like a sheriff’s deputy.”

“That’s because I am a sheriff’s deputy,” David replied. “I volunteered to take over the night shift so the rest of you could enjoy the Halloween party at Granny’s tonight.”

“And we thank you for that,” Emma said, giving him a slight curtsy.

“I’m not so sure it was a good idea though,” he said, looking over her shoulder at the Jones boys in his apartment. “I see you’re going with three pirates to the party, which worries me a bit.”

“Four pirates!” Killian yelled as his son Henry walked over to the group. He had a fake eye patch strapped on to match his father’s with his hand shoved into a plastic hook to complete his costume.

Henry beamed as his father threw a hand over his shoulder before turning to his princely grandfather. “Don’t worry,” Henry said. “I’m a good pirate.”

David walked over and ruffled his grandson’s hair. “Sure, kid,” he said. “Just make sure you get your mother home safely.”

“Aye, aye, sheriff.”

David laughed and gave the boy a kiss on the forehead before turning to do the same to his daughter. “I’ll call you if I need you, but I won’t need you.”

“OK, but drive by Regina’s house,” Emma added quickly. “I know she hasn’t really been seen since the curse broke but, you know, in case she tries to take advantage of having everyone at Granny’s tonight.”

“I’ve got it covered. Just make sure you have fun tonight. You deserve it after all the work you’ve put in,” David said before giving some final goodbyes and walking out the door.

Killian knew exactly what David was talking about. Emma had been badgered by the townspeople who expected her to be their savior well after she broke the curse, even if it was 3 a.m. and the only thing that needed saving was a broken car alarm. He didn’t totally mind though. After all, he knew she received that call at 3 a.m. because he was lying next to her in bed when her phone rang. He made sure to give her a reassuring kiss as she climbed out of bed to handle the latest problem before the two of them snuck out of her parents’ apartment together.

As the savior, Emma needed to know there was at least one person on her side, one person who supported her fully and would be there for her through it all, and Killian was determined to be that person. He had missed out on doing that for her for so many years and frankly, the disastrous end to their relationship -- the first time -- led to both of them not being able to trust other people. At least now that they were together this second time, they could put their trust in each other.

Killian walked over to where Emma was standing in her apartment, putting a reassuring hand on her back, his fingers pricking with electricity as he touched her bare skin. “You ready to go, your highness?” he whispered.

She took a deep breath and turned to him, a smile immediately spreading across her face. “As long as you promise to behave yourself, pirate.”

“Now you know I can’t make promises like that, love,” he replied before leaning closer so only she could hear. “And I doubt you would want me to keep a promise like that anyway.”

She gave him a mischievous grin and was about to say something in return when their son finally had enough and came bounding up to them, pulling Killian by the hand.

“We don’t want to be late, Dad!” he said. “Plus, I can’t wait for everyone to see our costumes. This is going to be the best Halloween party I’ve been to in my entire life!”

Killian was pulled out the door with Liam following as Emma continued to stand in the doorway, amused by all the commotion unfolding in front of her.

“Don’t worry, son. I’ve got your date,” Eddie said to him.

Killian saw his father offer her his good arm -- “Shall we?” he asked with a smile from Emma as she slid her hand into the crook of his elbow. He felt a bit of jealousy towards the former Captain Hook, but Emma quickly made eye contact with him and smiled. “I’m good,” she said. “You just watch out for Henry.”

The boy hadn’t given him much choice. Henry quickly grabbed Killian’s hand on one side of him and Liam’s on the other, leading them down the street towards Granny’s. As they walked towards the party, Killian would take the occasional glance back and see Emma still holding on to his father, leaning in so she could better hear something the fisherman was saying to her or talking to him about something that Killian didn’t have the privilege of hearing.

Granny’s was a sight to behold as they walked through the patio filled with festive Halloween decorations. The inside was just as amazing with jack-o-lanterns set up on the counter, orange and black streamers hung from the ceiling, and a table in the back with food and some sort of punch billowing dry ice.

Killian caught sight of Mary Margaret dressed as a huntress, complete with a bow that suited her well in her previous life. She spotted Killian and then quickly looked past him, scanning the crowd for Emma. And he could tell the woman saw her daughter when a huge smile formed on her lips before making her way through the crowd towards the group.

“Oh, Emma!” Mary Margaret said, wrapping her arms around her daughter. “You look amazing!”

“And you look like a bandit,” Emma replied, pulling away slightly to fully check out Mary Margaret’s costume.

She smiled at the compliment before looking over Emma’s shoulder at the Jones family. “Well, I guess it’s good that you brought me some pirates then.”

“Hi, Grandma!” Henry yelled, throwing his arms around the waist of the woman in front of them. “This place looks awesome!”

“It really does, your majesty,” Killian said.

Mary Margaret blushed a bit at the title. “First of all, you don’t have to call me that here,” she explained. “And second, you’ll have to tell Ruby how much you like it. I just helped execute her vision. Speaking of which,” she said, leaning down towards Henry. “There are some games in the back if you’d like to join me, young pirate.”

“Argh, matey. That sounds splendid!”

The group laughed as they watched the boy and the bandit head for what looked like a pumpkin pinata in the back. Then Eddie excused himself to join his crew in one of the booths. After the curse broke, the captain and Smee were able to find members of the Jolly Roger, and the group had even started restoring an old ship to sail with Liam and Killian on deck again. Of course, being in Storybrooke meant the ship would do less plundering and more booze cruises -- something the young Jones brothers had quite a bit of experience handling.

Killian smiled seeing his father so happy before turning his attention back to his date. He walked up next to Emma, offering his arm to escort her like a true gentleman.

“Would you like something to drink?” he asked.

“Of course,” she said, sliding her hand into the crook of his elbow.

“Liam …” Killian turned to find he was addressing no one. “Where did my brother go?”

He heard a giggle from his date and saw Emma gesture over the crowd to a far corner by the dartboards. He strained his neck to look around the people standing nearby only to see his brother making out with a woman wearing wolf ears.

“I should’ve known,” he lamented.

Emma laughed again. “You have to give him credit. It didn’t take him long to adjust to life in this town.”

“I think you mean adjust to life with a certain waitress in this town,” he replied sarcastically. “The good news is I get free coffee anytime I come in here with him if Ruby is working.”

Emma smiled at him, squeezing his arm tighter as they made their way through the crowd to the punch bowl where she was more than happy to let him get her a glass of Granny’s concoction before pouring one for himself.

“And just so you know, I brought provisions,” he said, pulling out a flask from his back pocket.

“What is that?”

“Rum, of course,” he replied. “I mean, I am a pirate.”

She smiled as he poured a bit in her glass. “So,” he said, trying to casually mix his own drink. “What did you and my father talk about?”

“I can’t discuss what my subjects tell me in confidence,” she teased, bringing the drink to her lips.

He gave him a small smile before following her lead, the drink tasting cool and definitely spiked as it went down his throat.

“You know he’s proud of you and your brother,” she said quietly. “And he is looking forward to working with the two of you next season.”

Killian swallowed and stared down at the ice cubes floating in his punch to distract himself from the prickly feeling in his eyes. “Aye,” he replied. “He hasn’t said it in so many words to us, but we know.”

He felt Emma’s hand slide into his own as she pulled herself closer to him. “I’m looking forward to it too,” she said.

He scoffed from beside her. “You’re looking forward to me spending all day on a boat?”

“I’m looking forward to you coming home at night.”

“Sounds great,” he said sarcastically. “Last time I checked, I’m living with my dad and brother, and you’re at your parents’ apartment. Not the ideal places to go home to with my girlfriend.”

“No, it’s not,” Emma said, looking nervously down at her drink. “Maybe we need to come up with a better option.”

He looked at Emma, her skittish stance giving him hope. “Maybe getting our own place together would be the better option?”

Her green eyes glimmered in the light as she turned to smile back at him. “I would like that.”

“Me too,” he said.

Without any apprehension, he leaned over to kiss her, tasting her cherry lip gloss she had generously applied to make her lips shine like the beads on her dress. He would make sure he never took these moments for granted again.

But of course their kiss was short lived as Henry once again came bounding up to interrupt a quiet moment between his parents.

“They’re going to start the apple bobbing contest! You have to come watch me!” Henry yelled before running back into the crowd.

Killian looked incredulous as the boy headed towards the games. “Why the bloody hell would your mother support that?”

“Because it’s a Halloween tradition?” Emma replied.

“We need to go save him, Swan,” Killian said, dropping his glass of punch down on the table.

“Well, it’s too bad the savior took the night off. You’ll have to help him yourself,” she responded teasingly.

“Love, think about it,” he said, giving her a serious look. “Our son is about to go bob for fruit in a town with a mayor who once tried to kill your mother with a poisoned apple.”

“Wait, why _would_ my mother support that?”

“Exactly.”

Emma took a deep breath and sighed. “Fine, pirate. Let’s go save our son.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's it! Thank you all so much for the comments and kudos! I can't tell you how awesome it was to see that kind of support for this story. You guys are the best! And I already have something in the works that I will hopefully start posting in the new few weeks, so I promise I won't leave you guys hanging for too long. Thanks again, everyone!


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